


It's Just a Matter of Time

by Eicartgeorge



Series: It's Just a Matter of Time [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV), teen wolf - Fandom
Genre: 1953 - Freeform, Ancient Rome, Dancing, F/M, France - Freeform, Future, Jack the Ripper - Freeform, RMS Titanic, Slow Burn, Stydia, Time Travel, Time warp, WWII, Waltzing, Woodstock, World War I, World War II, diner, wwi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-11-12
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:15:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 76,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8168129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eicartgeorge/pseuds/Eicartgeorge
Summary: Lydia and Stiles are transported into the future where they discover all of the Pack's members are either dead or missing. They must travel back in time to save everyone following clues left by future Lydia. Originally posted on Fanfiction.net. First story in a series of three (as of right now).





	1. Do You See That?

**Author's Note:**

> Because this story deals with time-travel, there's a heading at the beginning of every chapter or scene change: 
> 
> **_03172016_** \-- The date (March 17, 2016)  
>  ** _Beacon Hills, Ca._** \-- Then general location of where the scene is taking place  
>  ** _1930 Hours_** \-- The time (7:30 pm)  
>  ** _Outside Lydia's House_** \-- A more specific location
> 
> I'm excited for you guys to read this story, so please let me know what you think!

**_03172016_**

**_Beacon Hills, Ca._**

**_1930 Hours_**

**_Outside Lydia's House_**

Stiles sighed and drummed his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel of his jeep. He glanced at his clock radio. 7:30. They were supposed to be be at Scott's house in 15 minutes, and it took at least 20 to get there from Lydia's.

His eyes flitted to his phone. The last sent text was "Out front." Lydia had responded with "Coming :)"

That was 5 minutes ago.

He looked toward her front door, willing for her to come out. Just as he was about to get out of the jeep to find out what was taking so long, the front door swung open and she emerged from it.

"Finally." He muttered then looked straight ahead out of the windshield. The sun was almost completely set, turning the sky a purplish color. It would be completely dark soon which worried him, because nothing good happened after dark in Beacon Hills.

His passenger side door opened, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Lydia apologized as she climbed into the jeep.

"What took you so long?" He asked as he started up the vehicle, and punched the gas.

"I couldn't find my lip gloss." She said with a shrug.

Stiles's mouth dropped open and he look toward her. She wasn't looking at him, and he remembered suddenly that he was driving. He quickly turned his head back and instead he opted for, "Seriously?"

"What?" She said innocently.

Stiles rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Lydia shrugged to herself. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Because, Scott wanted us there at 7:45."

"But, it's not like we have to be there _at_ 7:45. We're just watching movies. They'll probably wait for us to get there anyway, and if not, we miss the first five minutes. So what?"

He gestured wildly with his right hand, keeping his left on the steering wheel."The first five minutes is a very crucial part of a movie. It sets up the rest of the movie! We're going to get there and not have any idea what's going on."

"If they start watching a movie -and that's a big 'if' because I don't think they will- I highly doubt they're going to watch a movie that neither of us has seen. They'll watch something we've all seen a thousand times. Like _Up_."

Stiles gave her a look as if to say "Are you crazy?" "I'm sorry, do you even _remember_ the first five minutes of _Up_? That's the worst movie to watch right now. Tonight is a night of comedy. Nothing sad, and nothing where anyone dies."

"So, basically no Disney movies."

"Seriously, Lydia. Is that _not_ what I just said?" He said it without humor in his voice, but he could feel Lydia staring at him with a small smile on her face. He chuckled lightly and shook his head.

"I miss her." Lydia said suddenly.

Stiles nodded. "Me too. But that's what tonight is about. It's about being together and remembering Allison, but not dwelling on it."

Lydia gave a small nod, then noticed where they were. "Hey, can you make a right up here?"

"Are you kidding me? We're already going to be late enough as it is."

"Stiles, please." He turned to look at her, and saw the far away look in her eyes as she stared out the window.

He sighed and made the right. "Fine, but if we find a dead body I'm..." He turned to her and realized Lydia wasn't even paying attention to him, so he mumbled to himself, "I'm not gonna be happy."

They drove a little bit longer, and Stiles made turns where Lydia told him to. Finally Lydia shouted, "Pull over!" Stiles jumped and slammed on the breaks, parking the car on the side of the road.

He clasped his hand over his chest and tried to steady his breathing. "Jeez! Give me a heart attack why don't you? You can't do that when I'm dri-" He turned to look at her and instead saw an empty seat and an open door. "Lydia?" He called. There was no response, and all he saw were the woods she must have run into. The sinking feeling of knowing he was going to have to get out of the car and start looking for her in those woods set in. "Dammit. Now we're going to miss the first _ten_ minutes."

He got out of the car and ran toward the woods. "Lydia!" He called out to her and tried to see which way she could have gone, but at this point, it was pitch black and he could barely see his hand in front of him. He fumbled for his phone to turn the flashlight on and caught movement up ahead. "Lydia?" He called again, then to himself, he murmured, "Please let that be you." He walked ahead in the direction he saw the movement. "Lydia!"

"What?" He heard from behind him. He nearly jumped out of his skin as he dropped his phone.

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed, then grabbed onto her arm for support. "That's the second time you've done that! Keep it up, and I may actually have a heart attack."

"You'll be fine." She told him and began walking again.

"Is that like a...banshee prediction or..." She was now several feet away and not answering him. "No? Okay." He bent down to pick up his phone, then hustled to catch up with her. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"I don't know." She told him honestly.

"Well that narrows it down."

"Wait, do you see that?" She asked him and began walking a little faster.

"See what?"

"That glow coming from over there."

Stiles stopped moving and looked in the direction Lydia had motioned to. Sure enough, there was a soft pink glow coming from several hundred feet away. "Believe it or not, I do." Stiles paused trying to understand what it was he was looking at, when he realized that Lydia never stopped walking and was about halfway to the glow. "Whoa! Slow down!" He picked up the pace and continued following her. Soon, he could tell the glow was coming from a small clearing. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He mumbled to himself. He had finally caught up with her again and they both stood staring at the glowing, pink nemeton.

"Okay," Stiles said and looked down at his phone. "I think it's time to call Scott." He hit "call" and put the phone to his ear. "At least let him know we're going to be la-" Stiles looked back up and Lydia was inching closer to the glowing stump. "Lydia, what are you doing?" Stiles quickly ended the call and stepped forward. "Stop! What if it's like radioactive or something?" Lydia's hand was reaching out to touch the nemeton. Stiles took two quick strides and grabbed her shoulder to pull her back.

"Ly-"

Suddenly, they were gone. The nemeton stopped glowing and the clearing became very dark. Aside from the normal nighttime sounds, the only noise that could be heard was a soft buzzing. Stiles's phone had fallen.

Allison was calling.  
  
  
**_04032043_**

**_San Francisco, Ca._**

**_2000 Hours_**

**_Outside of an Office Building_**

Stiles and Lydia looked around them trying to figure out what exactly had happened.

"What the-" Lydia started.

"Holy Hell..." Stiles finished for her.

"Hey, Stiles?" Lydia asked, still taking in her surroundings.

"Yeah?" He answered doing the same.

"I think we may miss the first movie." The two of them exchanged looks, then heard a whirring sound coming from above them. They both raised their eyebrows at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation.

They each took a deep breath and slowly looked up.


	2. A Margin of Error

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really hope you guys continue to enjoy this fic! Please continue to let me know what you think!

**_04032043_ **

**_San Francisco, Ca._ **

**_2001 Hours_ **

**_Outside of an Office Building_ **

 

Stiles and Lydia looked up and saw a small drone hovering over them.

"What do you think that is?" Stiles wondered aloud.

Before Lydia had time to answer, a small opening appeared at the bottom of the drone.

"You don't think that's going to start shooting bullets or lasers or anything, right?" Stiles asked anxiously.

A blue light shone from the opening and traveled from their heads to their feet then back up again.

"Lydia Martin." The drone, who was apparently a female, spoke. The front doors to the office building unlocked. "Please, come inside."

"Thank you." Lydia said with confusion, but walked toward the doors. Stiles followed, but was stopped before he could enter by a jolt of electricity. He flew backwards and landed on the ground in front of the building.

"Oh my God! Stiles!" Lydia ran back to Stiles, who had landed on his back, and knelt down next to him.

"He is not in my database." The drone spoke.

"He's with me." Lydia told it.

"He is not in my database." The drone said again.

"I'm not going in without him!" Lydia said sternly.

"Very well." The drone did not seem happy-if drones could have emotions. It printed a badge with "Visitor" written on it. Stiles's face from when the drone scanned them was pictured right above the word.

Lydia stood and grabbed the printed badge from the drone and turned back to Stiles. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." He croaked out. Lydia helped him up and he leaned on her momentarily while she helped him inside the building.

"I'm fine." Stiles told Lydia again once they were inside. He sounded weak, and Lydia gave him a look that said she didn't believe him, but let him go anyway. The lobby of the office building was dark and empty. Suddenly an elevator door opened up.

"Going up," Came from the elevator, spoken by the same robotic female voice that the drone had.

Stiles and Lydia exchanged looks and she grabbed onto his arm as they walked toward the opened doors.

"Floor 15 as usual?" The voice asked.

"Yes." Lydia replied after a moment's hesitation.

The doors closed and the elevator shot up to the 15th floor. Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened again, the two of them stepped out into a dark hallway. There was only one door and it was controlled by biometrics. More specifically, a hand print.

"Well, the robot lady seems to know who you are." Stiles said with a shrug when he and Lydia shared a confused look. Lydia bit her lip and laid her left hand on the glass. _Access Granted_ in green text appeared on the screen with _Martin, Lydia_ in white text right underneath and a picture of Lydia right next to it. "Whoa! That's you, but you look…different." Stiles told her. Her hair in the picture was pulled back, probably into a bun, and she was wearing glasses.

The door in front of them unlocked and they entered the room. "Lydia?!" They heard from somewhere in the large room. "Is that yo-" A girl appeared around the corner, but stopped short when she saw them. She was in her late teens/early twenties with mocha skin, bright blue eyes, and straight brown hair. "Oh my God!" She spoke with a British accent.

"Do I know you?" Lydia asked her. Something about her seemed familiar but at the same time she knew for a fact she had never seen this girl before in her life.

"Yeah, well, I mean…no, but…not yet… I…I need to sit down."

She disappeared behind the wall she had just come from and Stiles and Lydia exchanged looks, then followed her. There were several computers set up around the room. This was definitely a lab of sorts. She sat down in a rolling chair then motioned to a few other chairs in the room. "Please, have a seat. I have so many questions."

"You and us both." Stiles quipped as he took a seat across from the girl.

"You're Stiles." It was a statement, like she was realizing it. Stiles froze and exchanged looks once more with Lydia.

"Yeah. So that makes you…?"

"Elbie."

"Elbie," Lydia started slowly, "What are we doing here?"

"And where exactly is 'here'?" Stiles added.

"And _when_ exactly is 'here'?" Lydia finished.

"Okay, slow down." Elbie said, throwing her hands up. "The when and where is easy. You're in San Francisco in the year 2043. April 3rd to be exact. The 'why'… well…that's a little more difficult, because frankly, I have no idea. What year are you from?" Elbie asked the two teens.

"2016." Lydia answered.

"Wicked." She smiled and leaned forward.

"How do you know Lydia?" Stiles asked the girl.

Elbie didn't answer right away. She seemed to be contemplating how much she should tell the two of them. "She's my roommate and we work together."

"Where am I?" Lydia asked. "I mean, the me of this time."

"I...I don't know." Elbie told her. Stiles and Lydia each gave her questioning glares and she quickly stood up. "I don't know what I can and can't tell you. If I say the wrong thing I could change the future." Then she mumbled, "God, knows there's enough of that going on right now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stiles stood slowly, and raised his eyebrow.

"I shouldn't have said that." Elbie told him with wide eyes.

"Okay," Lydia said, standing up. "Look, I get it. We're dealing with the very fragile nature of time, so just do us all a favor and get us back to _our_ time and we'll forget all this ever happened."

Elbie looked shocked for a moment. "How did you know that?"

Lydia looked back and forth from Stiles to Elbie. "How did I know what?"

"That you wouldn't remember anything when you make it bac-" Elbie noticed the confused looks on both Lydia and Stiles's faces. "You didn't. You were just saying... okay, see I'm really bad at this."

"Okay, let's start over." Stiles tried. "Just get us back to the nemeton and then maybe-"

"Wait!" Elbie said suddenly. "You came through the nemeton?" Stiles and Lydia nodded. Elbie sighed and plopped back down in her chair. "The nemeton was meant to be a beacon to call Lydia back here. But you came instead of her which means..."

"I don't like that look." Stiles pointed at Elbie, but looked at Lydia as he said it.

"What the hell." Elbie shrugged. "Like you said, you're not going to remember any of this," Stiles and Lydia looked at each other with confusion, but Elbie missed the look completely and continued "And I don't see another choice." She stood quickly. "Sit down." Stiles and Lydia both sat back in their chairs. Elbie took a deep breath and began. "About 17 years ago, Lydia met a man."

"Oh?" Stiles asked with a raised eyebrow. Lydia glared at him.

"Not like that." Elbie clarified with a hint of sadness in her voice. "You see, a lot of bad things happened to your pack. Some of it you've seen already and some of it is still to come. This man claimed that he was responsible for all of it...Something about the pack ruining his life...He wanted to make you all suffer. He was from our future and he had gone back in time and changed the past. The man told Lydia that she was the one who invented time travel in the first place an-"

"Seriously?" Stiles seemed proud.

"It's all physics." Lydia told him. "I'm sure if I put my mind to it, I could figure it out."

"You did." Elbie told her. "Anyway, he died trying to kill you, Lydia. And you...well _she_ set to work. Her plan all along was to figure out what he changed and fix it. I didn't start working with her until about five years ago-"

"When you were thirteen?!" Stile's asked in shock.

"Fifteen." Elbie corrected him. "At that point, she had figured out the basics. She made a few trips and that's how we learned that you wouldn't remember anything once you were back in your own time. She studied and researched and finally figured out what needed to change in order to set everything straight again, and she made a list."

"I'm sorry." Stiles raised his hand as if he were in a classroom. "Why couldn't she just make sure the guy was never born?"

Elbie took a deep breath. "We don't know who he is. Like I said, he was from our future. She's continued to try to run DNA and fingerprints and it always comes back with negative results."

"But won't he still be born and still go back and change everything?" Lydia asked.

"She thought that she'd figured out a way to stop it. Of course, she never let me in on any of it." Elbie swallowed and tears seemed to be forming in her eyes. "She left two weeks ago. She's normally really good about coming back a few minutes later. But, once, she jumped to 16th century England and miscalculated the jump back. I sat here an entire day waiting for her to make the return. This list she had was pretty long. I don't know specifics, but she was jumping all over the timeline so I was giving her a margin of error. Finally I set up the beacon to call her back. But you came instead of her. At this point, she's either been captured or worse."

"How do you know she just didn't change everything back?"Stiles asked.

"Because then I wouldn't remember anything. Because if she changed it all back, then there would have been no reason for her go back again. I just knew it was a trap."

Lydia seemed as if she was in deep thought for a moment. "Where's the list?"

"She made two copies. One is with her. She said she would hide the other somewhere else. Then she destroyed all the files on it."

"Why?" Stiles asked in curiosity.

"She didn't want me to go after her." Elbie seemed to realize something. "Maybe she anticipated this happening. Setting up the beacon at the nemeton was always part of our plan for any jump. Maybe she knew that if she didn't respond to the beacon, that you would." Elbie looked at Lydia. "Which would mean she would hide it somewhere only _you_ would know to look for it."

"Wait," Stiles put a hand up to stop them. "Are you saying what I think you're saying? You want to send Lydia- _this_ Lydia-back in time to save the future?"

"Stiles," Lydia turned to him. "I felt the need to go to the nemeton for a reason."

"But future you tried it and she didn't come back. What makes you think you can go back and do it all by yourself?"

Lydia smiled and grabbed Stiles's hand. "Because I won't be alone, will I?"

Stiles and Lydia stared at each other for a moment before Stiles softly said, "No. If you thought I was going to let you go without me, you'd have to be out of your mind."

Elbie sighed. "I don't understand why it took you two so long to get together."

Stiles eyes widened and Lydia's eyes narrowed and they both turned back to look at Elbie.

"What?" Stiles's 'what' came out high-pitched while Lydia's came out almost a little angry.

Elbie's eyes widened, realizing she may have said too much. "What?" She squeaked out. "I was... quoting a movie...You haven't seen it. Let's go!"

"Go where?" Lydia asked forgetting about what Elbie had said for the time being.

"Our place. Mine and Lydia's. If the list is going to be anywhere, it'll be there."


	3. The List

**_04032043_ **

**_San Francisco, Ca._ **

**_2113 Hours_ **

**_Lydia and Elbie's Apartment_ **

"Cars in the future are so cool!" Stiles announced as they climbed out of Elbie's car. It hovered about a foot off of the ground until the wheels lowered from the bottom of the car.

Stiles and Lydia followed Elbie up to her door. "Home sweet home." Elbie boasted as they entered the apartment.

"Wow! This is nice!" Stiles exclaimed.

"Well, I _did_ invent time travel." Lydia reminded him.

Stiles shook his head then saw the large window straight ahead. "Look at that view!" He ran over to the window and stared across at the lit up city. Lydia went straight for the bookshelf.

"If I were going to keep a list somewhere, I'd put it in a book." She said it out loud, but she was talking to herself. "But, which one?" She wondered aloud and began to run her fingers along the spines.

Stiles took a step away from the window and saw a picture frame sitting up on the end table. He picked it up to take a closer look and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he saw it was a picture of him and Lydia...kissing? Elbie quickly snatched the picture away.

"This was photoshopped." she told him, unconvincingly. "Stay right here. I'm going to make sure there's nothing too revealing or..you know...completely and utterly fake...lying around."

Elbie walked away and Stiles sat down on the couch. "She's a strange one." He muttered to himself.

Elbie walked into a room and came out with several items, then walked into another room. When she came back out, the items were gone. Stiles could only assume that the second room she walked into was her own.

"Any luck?" She asked Lydia once she was back in the living room.

"Not yet." Lydia told her. Stiles stood up from the couch and walked back over to Lydia.

"Okay," Stiles started. "Let's say you knew that your past self would come looking for this list. You said you'd choose a book, so it's probably a book that would have meaning to you for awhile."

" _The Little Mermaid_." She said, then started looking for Hans Christian Anderson.

"It's not here." Stiles told them after looking for the book.

"Where's my room?" Lydia asked as she turned to Elbie.

Elbie pointed to the first room she had walked into- the one that she came out of with the items. Lydia ran in and Stiles followed with Elbie right on his heels.

When they walked in, Lydia went straight to the bedside table. _The Little Mermaid_ was sitting on the corner. She picked up the book and began to flip through the pages. "That's not possible." She murmured. "There's nothing here!" She exclaimed.

"Calm down." Stiles told her. "So, it's not _The Little Mermaid_. If you were trying to hide this list from anyone but yourself, you wouldn't leave the book out in the open would you?" Lydia thought for a moment before running to the closet doors. She flung them open and looked around to see if anything caught her eye. There was a box in the far left corner. Lydia got to it, and brought it back out, tossing the contents onto the bed. There were old research papers, one that Stiles saw dated back to the 3rd grade. He recognized the purple ink that she wrote with that year before actually noticing the date. Stiles also noticed pictures with his handwriting on them. Cases, he knew it immediately even though he'd never seen these pictures before. Then he saw it. It was more worn than the one they were used to, but it was there clear as day.

"The Beastiary!" Both Stiles and Lydia exclaimed at the same time and reached for the book that they had made based on the contents of Gerard's jump drive. Neither of them were fast enough, Elbie had gotten to the book first. The two teens looked back at her.

"What are you doing?" Lydia asked.

"I can't let you see this." She told Lydia. "You already know too much, you can't know what's in this book."

"But that book has to have the list in it." Stiles told her. "We're the ones who _made_ that book. What's in it that we haven't seen before?"

Elbie bit her lip. "You've added to it over the years."

Stiles groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. Lydia spoke calmly, "Elbie, remember what you said, we aren't going to remember any of this when we get back to our own time. And if we succeed in fixing everything then what's in this book may not even be around in the new timeline."

Elbie paused, then nodded and handed the book over to Lydia. She flipped it open and saw first off that names of the pack members were written next to certain creatures. It wasn't until she saw Allison and Aiden's name next to the Oni and the nogitsune that she realized what it meant. Tears filled her eyes and she looked back up at Elbie. "Everyone's dead?"

Elbie nodded sadly.

"Wait, what?" Stiles asked as he leaned over Lydia's shoulder.

"It looks like we wrote down pack member's names next to the supernatural creature that killed them." As Lydia continued to flip through the book she got to a part that she'd never seen before, new pages that had been added. More names next to the newly added creatures. Then suddenly there it was: The list. "This is it." Lydia announced as she held up the piece of paper.

"It's in the same code as the deadpool lists." Stiles said.

"I can see that." Lydia told him, and began looking around her room.

"What are you looking for?" Elbie asked.

"My computer."

As soon as she said it, a clear screen rose out of her desk, and a keyboard projected in front of it.

"The future. Is. So. AWESOME!" Stiles said with excitement. Lydia had sat down in the chair at her desk and Stiles leaned over her shoulder, holding on to the back of the chair. In a few minutes, Lydia had the program needed to decipher the code and the code imported. All she needed was the keyword.

"Okay," Lydia said, thinking out loud. "For the deadpool lists the keyword was somebody who was dead, or going to die."

"-Ish." Stiles offered with a shrug. "Because technically he didn't die, he just...evolved."

Lydia rolled her eyes and sighed, not mentioning that even though Derek's death wasn't immediate, it _had_ happened. "So," she continued, "It would make sense that the keyword would be a name of someone who was dead."

"Well, we've got a lot of names to choose from." Stiles said sadly.

Lydia typed 'Scott.' Incorrect. 'Kira.' Incorrect. 'Malia.' Incorrect.'Liam.' Incorrect. She stopped and thought about it. Where was Stiles in all of this? She'd known him for a long time. If all of their friends were dead, he wouldn't leave her alone. "Unless he had no choice." Lydia mumbled. His name wasn't next to any of the supernatural creatures. Maybe he was killed by a human. She would have honored him in some way. Lydia closed her eyes and typed, 'S-T-I-L-E-S'. She opened them again, but didn't see 'Stiles' on the screen. It just seemed like a bunch of letters mashed together.

"Why did you type that name?" Stiles asked, mouth dry.

"I don't know." Lydia said with head shake. "I was...I was trying to type your name."

She reached up to hit backspace, but Stiles's voice stopped her. "You did." He leaned over and hit 'Enter' and the list populated.

"Wait, that's your first name?"

"You can see why I go by 'Stiles'."

The List was made up of names and numbers.

"I don't understand this." Lydia told Elbie.

"Let me see." Elbie said and Lydia stood up so that Elbie could sit in front of the screen. Lydia turned to look at Stiles, who was being uncharacteristically quiet, and saw him sitting on the bed staring at his hands. She quietly walked over and sat down next to him.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him.

He raised his head to look her in her eyes. "My name was the keyword. Which means, I'm dead."

Elbie groaned. Stiles and Lydia both turned toward her. "Sorry." Elbie said when she realized she had actually groaned out loud. "It's just… this is the reason you're not supposed to know any of this."

Stiles sighed. "Can you…can you tell me when?"

Elbie shook her head. "Nope. I _know_ that's something that I can't tell you. Besides, like I said…this guy claimed responsibility for all of it. If you fix everything then you may still be alive."

"So then I don't understand why you can't-"

"Stiles!" Lydia shouted. He jumped and looked back at her. "Just leave it alone. Please. _I_ don't want to know."

Stiles sighed and Elbie spoke up. "So, I don't know what the names mean, but these numbers here are dates, times, and coordinates.

"For making jumps?" Lydia asked.

"Most likely." Elbie clarified. "The device we use needs all these factors put into it before you can make the jump. But like I said, I don't know what these names mean."

"Maybe it's somebody who lived in that time." Stiles offered.

"Maybe, but why would I write their names down next to the coordinates?" Lydia asked then yawned.

"You're tired." Elbie stated. "Both of you are, I can see it. You can sleep here tonight, then tomorrow we'll go back to the lab and you guys can get started."

"Wait, just like that?" Stiles asked, panic seeping into his tone. "No lessons or anything? Just throw us in the deep end and hope we swim?"

"We'll go over how it all works tomorrow." Elbie assured him, "I'm not going to let you go without proper instructions. Lydia, you can sleep in here, it's your room after all. Stiles, you-"

"I'll sleep on the couch," Stiles said matter-of-factly, then paused, realizing this was not his place. "If that's okay."

Elbie smiled. "I'll grab extra blankets. Follow me." Stiles started to follow Elbie out of the room, but Lydia called him back.

"Stiles, wait." Stiles stopped and glanced at Elbie, who continued to walk out of the room, probably to give them privacy.

"What's wrong?" Stiles asked once it seemed Elbie was out of earshot.

"What's wrong? Did you seriously just ask me that question?"

Stiles shook his head. "That wasn't what I meant."

Lydia nodded. "I know... It's just... I... I'm scared."

"Look, we don't have to do this."

"Yes, we do." Lydia said with a look of determination. "Stiles, our friends die, _you_ die. We have to fix this."

"I know, but what if the same thing that happened to you... _future_ you...happens to us? What if we're captured or killed?"

"That's why I'm scared. I need you to promise me everything will be okay."

Stiles stared at her for a moment. "I can't-"

"Promise me, please."

"Lydia," He started, a hint of anger in his voice. "Don't make do this. Don't make me promise you something I can't guarantee."

Lydia's lip quivered and tears brimmed her eyes. Slowly, one lone tear found it's way out of the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek. Before he could stop himself, Stiles reached up and wiped the tear away. He sighed.

"I promise that I will do everything I can to keep you safe."

Lydia shook her head. "That's not good enough."

Stiles shrugged. "That's what I've got." Neither of them said anything for several minutes.

"Stiles!" Elbie called and came into the room. "Oh... " She stopped when she saw them in such a tense moment. "Sorry." She apologized and started to walk back out of the room.

"It's fine." Stiles told her. "I was just about to come find you." He began to walk out of the room with Elbie, but stopped and turned back. "Goodnight, Lydia."

"Goodnight."

Stiles walked away and Lydia sighed and looked back at the bed. Papers were still scattered across it, so she quickly stacked them together and dropped them back into the box they came out of.

"Lydia?" She heard Elbie enter the room again.

"Yeah?" Lydia responded and Elbie walked over to the dresser.

"I just wanted to show you, that your pajamas are in here." She said as she opened a drawer on the dresser. "In case you want to change."

"Thank you." Lydia told her.

Elbie nodded. "See you in the morning." She left the room again and Lydia went to the dresser and found a t-shirt and sweatpants to change into, before climbing into bed and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chocolate Chip Pancakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos! They really do mean a lot to me. This chapter begins to explain how time travel works in this story, but the next chapter goes into more detail.

**_04042043_ **

**_San Francisco, Ca._ **

**_0259 Hours_**

**_Lydia and Elbie's Apartment_ **

 

Lydia's eyes opened slowly. She panicked for a moment when she didn't recognize where she was, but then memories from the night before came back to her: being in the jeep, seeing the glowing nemeton, meeting Elbie. _Elbie_. The girl who said too much, but not enough at the same time. Lydia sensed something strange about the girl, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She sighed and rolled over, shielding her eyes from the impending sunlight. It was still dark. Lydia quickly sat up and looked over at the clock on the bedside table. 3:00 a.m. She groaned and fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

She wasn't sure how many minutes had passed-she didn't want to look at the clock again, knowing that it wouldn't be nearly as long as she thought it was. Her mouth was dry, she realized. Lydia got up and opened her door quietly. As she stepped out into the living room, she heard Stiles snoring lightly.

She walked past the couch and into the kitchen, then remembered she had no idea where anything was. After a few moments of trial and error, she found the cups and turned back around to face the sink. When she did, there was someone behind her. Lydia jumped and dropped the cup, letting out a squeak.

The squeak was supposed to be a scream, but she realized at the last moment that it was Elbie standing behind her and quickly tried to suppress it. Elbie caught the cup before it hit the ground and the two of them both looked over at the couch. Stiles stirred a moment, but then started snoring again. They both let out a breath and Elbie turned to Lydia. "I didn't mean to scare you." She whispered. "I just heard someone in here and thought I should check it out."

"I just came to get some water. I didn't mean to wake you up." Lydia turned to the sink to pour some water into the cup.

"It's fine. Goodnight, again." Elbie told her.

"Goodnight."

Lydia went back to her room and sighed. Now that she had adrenaline running through her system from being frightened there was no way she would be going back to sleep. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on the box from the closet. There was a lot of research in there that she noticed. It wouldn't be a bad idea to look over some of it before going on this adventure. Reading her own notes on time travel would probably be more useful than trusting Elbie to explain everything. Not that she didn't trust Elbie, she just knew that there was a lot that the girl wasn't telling them...or couldn't tell them.

Lydia dumped the box out on the floor, and she sat down with her back against the bed and pored over all the information. She read over some papers she remembered writing from elementary school and then saw a few from college-it almost felt like cheating. She found pictures of people-some were pack members, some she didn't recognize- with Stiles's handwriting on them. Either their deaths were shrouded in mystery, or something just didn't add up for them.

Finally, when she had read through most all of the documents, including the ones she had written on time travel, she realized the sun was up.

She decided it was time to make an appearance, especially since she'd heard Stiles and Elbie talking for awhile now.

Lydia began putting everything back into the box and that's when she noticed it. Its bright colors were what really caught her eye. She picked up the piece of paper, a child's drawing. "My mommy and daddy" was written at the top, clearly scribed by a child who was just learning their letters. The 'n' in 'and' was backwards and the other letters were all different sizes. The picture was a stick man and stick woman. The man was given spiky brown hair while the woman was given long red hair. At the bottom right hand corner the name "Laura" was written, clearly by an adult.

Who was Laura? And why did Lydia have her picture stashed away with her old school work and research?

There was a knock on her door and Lydia quickly threw the drawing in the box along with papers that were still scattered on the floor. "Come in!" She called as she finished picking up.

Stiles poked his head in. "Hey, you're up! Elbie's making breakfast."

"Cool, I'll be there in a minute."

"What were you looking at?" Stiles's asked as he took a step inside her room.

"Just some old research papers. Just trying to get some kind of grasp on the whole time travel thing."

"Learning anything?" He sat down on the ground next to her.

"A little." She shrugged.

"It's not too late to back out." Stiles told her. Lydia tossed him a glare and he sighed. "Look, Lydia, I just want you to stay safe."

"What if I told you that's why I want to do this. To keep _you_ safe."

"Then I'd say you were crazy."

"Stiles…Right now, you're dead. If we can change that before it happens that's a risk I'm willing to take."

"But if that means that you die, then that's not a risk _I'm_ willing to take."

Lydia shook her head. "You're not talking me out of this."

Stiles sighed. "Really, I'm not trying to. I know there's no point… I know if our situations were reversed I'd be doing the same thing."

Lydia nodded, "And I would be trying to convince you not to."

"Stiles! Lydia! Breakfast!" They heard Elbie shout.

Stiles stomach grumbled loudly. "You're not hungry, are you?" Lydia teased.

"We didn't eat dinner last night. Remember? We were supposed to have pizza at Scott's and _that_ didn't happen because _some_ body had to go chase down a glowing nemeton." Stiles nudged her playfully.

"Hey! Who was it that drove me there?"

" _Touche_." Stiles clapped his hands against his legs with some excitement. "Let's eat!"

He stood up, then helped Lydia to her feet.

They walked out of the room and saw Elbie in the kitchen fixing their plates.

"This smells amazing, Elbie." Lydia told her.

"What all did you make?" Stiles asked.

"I've got scrambled eggs, bacon, and chocolate chip pancakes."

"Ooh… I haven't had chocolate chip pancakes in forever." Stiles told her as his mouth began to water. Elbie plated everything and the three of them sat down at the glass table in the dining nook.

"This tastes just as amazing as it smells." Lydia said with her mouth full.

Stiles agreed. "These pancakes are best thing I've ever put in my mouth."

Lydia chuckled, "Are you sure about that?"

Stiles blushed, realizing where Lydia's head was. "You know what I mean, Lydia."

Elbie covered her face, getting the implied joke. "I'm sure you're just hungry." She tried to change the subject. "They're not _that_ good. They are my favorite though. My dad used to make them all the time when I was really young."

"You know who else loves chocolate chip pancakes?" Stiles said, pointing at Lydia with his fork.

"Derek." Lydia answered as she took a bite of bacon.

"Derek!" Stiles said, then realized that Lydia had answered him already. "Oh, you knew that?"

Lydia nodded ."I was with you when you told Scott."

"Oh, that's right," Stiles took another bite of eggs. "Do you know Derek?" Stiles looked at Elbie.

Elbie shook her head. "No, but Lydia talks about him every now and then." Elbie took a giant bite of pancakes.

Lydia was trying not to think about the picture she found, but curiosity was getting the better of her. "Who's Laura?" She blurted suddenly.

Stiles gave Lydia a confused look, but it was then that Elbie began to cough like she was choking.

Stiles looked back at her in concern. If she was choking, he knew as long as she was coughing she was still getting air. So, he sat there immobile, wanted to do something, but knowing there was nothing he _could_ do. He saw her look at her cup and he realized it was empty. Stiles quickly filled it with milk that was sitting on the table and handed her the cup.

"Here, drink this."

Elbie stopped and stared at him for a moment, before he nervously shouted, "Take it!"

That seemed to jolt her out of whatever she was thinking about and she quickly grabbed the glass from him and took a few sips. Elbie took a couple of deep breaths once the cough had subsided.

"Are you okay?" Lydia asked her.

"Yeah, I am." She turned to Stiles, "Thank you."

"Yeah, no problem."

Elbie turned back to Lydia. "I'm sorry. Did you ask me something?"

Lydia shook her head. "It wasn't important."

Elbie nodded in understanding. "Well, nothing ruins your appetite like nearly choking on chocolate chip pancakes." She sighed. "I'm going to go ahead and get ready for the day. You guys finish up."

Elbie left the room and Lydia and Stiles exchanged looks. Stiles shrugged and went back to his breakfast, but Lydia held her gaze and noticed the clothes he was wearing.

"Are those the clothes you were wearing last night?" She asked.

Stiles looked down at what he was wearing, "No, Elbie gave me these to change into."

"But, that _is_ your shirt. Isn't it?"

Stiles shrugged again and continued to shovel food in his mouth. Lydia sighed and began to push her eggs around on her plate with her fork, nervousness settling in the pit of her stomach. They sat there in silence until Elbie returned.

"Are you guys ready to go?"

"Go?" Lydia asked. "Shouldn't we change back into our clothes?"

Elbie shrugged. "That's up to you. Whatever you jump in, you're not going to be wearing it for long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stiles raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing dirty." Elbie rolled her eyes. "Rule number one: blend in. The time that you're in a jump can vary, but either way, you don't want to draw attention to yourself. Especially fashion-wise. That's the biggest giveaway that you're not...from around those parts."

Stiles nodded. "Makes sense."

"I'm sorry." Lydia began. "I'm still stuck on 'the time you're in a jump can vary' bit. Because the way you said it, made it sound like we could be gone for a long time."

"That's not how I meant it..." Elbie groaned. "I was going to wait until we got back to the lab to talk about it but I guess now is as good a time as any..." Elbie took a deep breath. "Okay, so I don't know how Lydia figured all of this out. All we have is a list of names and that could mean you need to tell them something, or make them do something, or stop them from doing something...We don't know! Completing the task, may require time for you to get to know the person on the list and figure out why they were on it in the first place. You could be there for a few minutes, or you could be there for days." She let that digest for a moment then asked, "So are you changing clothes, or are we leaving now?"


	5. Let's Do the Time Warp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pronunciation of Arqkanthymn is ARE-CAN-THIM. (I have no idea where it came from, so you probably shouldn't ask haha.) This is where time travel gets explained, so if you still have questions, please ask!

**_04042043_ **

**_San Francisco, Ca._ **

**_0837 Hours_ **

**_Parking Garage at the Lab_ **

The three of them stepped out of Elbie's car. The drive over was silent. Elbie and Lydia sat up front while Stiles sat in the back. Stiles and Lydia had stayed in their pajamas. Neither of them felt like getting dressed just to have to change clothes again.

As they approached the elevator to take them up to the 15th floor, Stiles saw the drone appear from around the corner.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He exclaimed and ducked behind Elbie.

"What's wrong with you?" Lydia asked him.

"It's our _friend_ from last night."

"That's just Arqkanthymn." Elbie explained.

"Our what?" Stiles asked in confusion.

"Arqkanthymn." Elbie clarified once more. "She's basically our security guard."

"Well, she nearly killed me yesterday."

"He's over-exaggerating." Lydia told Elbie. "I mean, she hurt him, but he wasn't anywhere near death."

"Speak for yourself." Stiles muttered.

"I'm sorry." Elbie told him and addressed the drone as it approached. "Arqkanthymn, Ms. Martin, Mr. Stilinski and I are going up to the 15th floor. Please allow all of us access."

"I will print a visitor's pass for Mr. Stilinski."

"That's not necessary, Arqkanthymn. They will not be here long."

"Very well."

The elevator dinged open and the three of them loaded in.

"Well, that was a lot less painful than last night." Stiles commented.

Once they got inside the lab Elbie went straight to one of the computers. "I just need a few minutes to get everything together and then I'll explain how it all works."

Lydia and Stiles stood back.

"This is it." He told her. "Last chance to back out."

"Stiles!"

"I know, I'm just making sure that you're okay with this, because _I'm_ the one who gets anxious, but right now... _you're_ the one who looks like you're on the verge of a panic attack."

Lydia felt her eyes begin to water. "How are you being so calm about all of this?"

"Because I've convinced myself that I'm dreaming and that none of this is possible." He added a smirk at the end and Lydia laughed lightly. "In all seriousness?" Lydia nodded for him to go on. "When it comes to your safety, I don't have time to freak out." They stared at each other until Elbie's voice interrupted their moment.

"Okay, let's get started." She held up a device. It looked like an over-sized video game controller with 10 times as many buttons. "This is the tool that you will use to time jump. I've already programmed all of the coordinates in there, so you shouldn't have any issues with that. The way that this device works is that it's the device itself that makes the jump. You either need to both be holding it, or touching the one holding it to make the jump. Anything you're touching will also make the jump with you so be very careful. The very last set of coordinates on here is the exact moment in time that you were transported to 2043."

"I have a question." Lydia raised her hand. "Remember that whole Who-Knows-How-Long-You'll-Be-In-Each-Jump thing?"

"Those weren't my exact words, but okay...what about it?"

"What if we're gone for like years? What if we're in our 20s when we get back to our own time?"

"Good question. So, I don't know why or how, but when you jump, your body goes into a suspended animation of sorts. I mean, you'll still get hungry and thirsty and if you get sick or hurt your body will still fight the infection; but it's possible that you could be gone for years, and your body won't age a day."

"And we won't remember what happened, so it's not like we'll feel like we've lived it." Lydia added.

"Exactly. Although, your body will still be effected by the things that happen. Once, Lydia came back with a huge bruise on her leg. It took weeks for it to go away. There was another time that we discovered scar tissue on one of her lungs from when she caught pneumonia, but she'd never had it before. We figured out that she caught it on a previous jump."

"Good to know." Stiles said slowly.

Elbie continued to explain to them how the device worked and how to make the next jump. She even explained that there was a way to set a time limit in each location and the device would automatically go to the next location once the time had expired. Lydia made a mental note to stay away from that function because the last thing they would need would be for one of them to get left behind in a strange time period. The point of this mission was to fix the future, not to mess it up even more.

She gave them a backpack to keep the device in, but also reminded them the first rule was to blend in, so that may require hiding the backpack, but keeping it safe at the same time.

Elbie went over everything she could think of and asked the teens if they had questions.

"Nope." Stiles said, and clapped his hands together, "Let's do the Time Warp. It's just a jump to the left, then step to the right, and then there's a pelvic thrust in there somewhere, right?" He cracked a smile.

Lydia looked at him as if he'd lost his mind and Elbie looked at him in complete confusion.

" _Rocky Horror_?" Stiles tried.

"Oh, no. I got it." Lydia said with a glare.

"I didn't." Elbie shrugged.

"Don't worry about it." Lydia told her. "Let's do this." Lydia took the device and Stiles grabbed the backpack, then held onto the device with Lydia.

She hit a few buttons and was about to hit the last one that would send them off, but Elbie shouted "Wait!" They stopped and looked over at her. Elbie grabbed the list that was sitting next to the computer she was working on before. "You need this." Elbie stuck it in the backpack and then hugged them both. "Good luck!"

"You ready?" Stiles asked Lydia.

She nodded. "Are you?"

"As I'll ever be."

Lydia took a deep breath and hit the button. The device shook in their hands for a moment and they both closed their eyes.

**_060813_ **

**_Ancient Rome_ **

**_1200 Hours_ **

**_Just outside of the city_ **

They felt the device go still and they each peeked an eye open and looked around.

"It worked!" Stiles said in shock.

"Of course it worked." Lydia told him and walked around to stick the device in the backpack and pull the list out. "Alright, so the person we're looking for is named Aeliana Laurence."

"And when we find her, what do we do?" Stiles asked.

"I guess we'll figure that out later. Come on, let's stash the backpack somewhere and start this whole 'blending in' process Elbie warned us about."


	6. When In Rome

**_060813_ **

**_Ancient Rome_ **

**_1255 Hours_ **

**_Just inside the city_ **

"I feel ridiculous." Stiles whined as he looked down at the garments Lydia had brought back for him. They had decided to split up so that Stiles could find a safe place for the backpack while Lydia went to find clothes. When she came back, she had two robes and two sashes that ran across their bodies. They each threw the robes on over their current clothes, and Stiles wasn't sure if that was contributing to the ridiculousness he was feeling or if it alleviating some of it. "How did you even get these?"

Lydia shrugged and smoothed out her robe. "I'm sneaky."

"You mean you stole them?!" Stiles's pitch went up an octave.

"How else was I supposed to get them, Stiles?"

"You could have bought them!"

"With what money?!"

Stiles looked angry for a moment and sighed in a huff. "Fine." Lydia turned away and began walking toward the town. Stiles followed behind her. "But what if somebody sees us and recognizes these as theirs?" He had caught up to her by now and stopped her long enough to whisper-yell, "What if they cut off our arms for stealing them? Isn't this the time period of 'an arm for an arm'?"

Lydia rolled her eyes and in a normal voice said, "The saying is 'an eye for an eye' And why are you whispering? English isn't even a language yet, nobody can understand us!" She sighed. "But, yes! If you stole something they would cut off your _hands_ as punishment."

Stiles looked at his hands, then tucked them under his arms. "But I like my hands."

"Relax," She turned away and began walking again. "If anybody is getting their hands cut off, it'll be me. I'm the one who took the clothes."

"But I like your hands too!" Stiles said, then stopped and made a face as he thought about what had just come out of his mouth.

Lydia stopped, whipped her head around and creased her forehead. "What?!"

Stiles's laughed nervously. "What? I mean..."

Lydia shook her head. "Nevermind." She went back to walking. "You're just over-reacting. We'll be fine."

"Oh, this is great!" He sounded relieved. "I'm freaking out and you're the calm one. Finally, the universe is balanced once again!"

"Funny, how you say that when the universe is actually so far from being in balance at the moment."

Stiles ignored the statement and instead tried to get them back on track. "Who are we looking for?"

"Aeliana Laurence."

"Did they even have last names back then?"

"Well, I'm sure they didn't call it a 'last name' but they probably had some kind of identifier. Maybe Laurence is her dad's name."

Stiles looked around at the sea of people in front of him.

"How are we supposed to find her?" He asked Lydia.

Lydia was about to open her mouth when they heard a man's voice from behind them, "Aeliana!" They exchanged looks then turned around slowly. " _Salve_! _Quid agis_?"

"Wait...what?" Stiles asked.

Lydia quickly shushed him and listened carefully to the conversation between Aeliana and the man she was speaking to. After a few moments, Aeliana walked away. "Come on!" Lydia motioned to Stiles to follow the girl.

"What just happened?" He asked as he followed behind her.

"She's meeting somebody. It seemed like it was supposed to be a secret."

"But if it's supposed to be a secret, then why are we following her?"

"Because I've been thinking... the list Future Lydia made was decoded the same way as the deadpool lists, right? And what did those names on deadpool lists all have in common?"

"They were all supernatural creatures." He answered.

Lydia sighed. "Well, other than that." Stiles gestured spastically as if he didn't know. "They were all supposed to die. I think that this is a list of people that are going to die that we need to save."

Aeliana rounded a corner and Stiles and Lydia peeked their heads around when they approached it. Aeliana had met up with a man, and they were kissing.

"Well," Stiles started. "Unless he's trying to choke her to death with his tongue, he doesn't look like he wants to kill her."

Lydia turned to glare at him, "Don't be condescending."

"I'm not!"

Lydia sighed ."I know I'm right about this."

"Banshee prediction?"

"Gut feeling." She spoke confidently, then shrugged. "Possibly influenced by banshee-ness"

"Alright. If you say she's going to die, I believe you. What do we do?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead." Lydia began to walk away from their hidden location and toward Aeliana.

"Wait! Where are you going?!"

"'Just stay here."

Stiles groaned and just stood back and watched. Aeliana broke away from the man she was with and he walked away. Aeliana turned around and Lydia accidentally-on-purpose bumped into her. The two girls seemed to strike up a conversation and Stiles took the time to really notice her. She was an inch or two taller than Lydia, and her hair was a dark brown. Her eyes looked dark as well, but he was still pretty far away to tell for sure. The two girls spoke for several minutes, before Lydia motioned toward Stiles and then ran toward him.

"What did you two talk about?" He asked her when she came back.

"Well, for starters, that guy she was kissing?"

"Yeah?"

"Not just any guy. He's Mars."

"Mars? As in the god of war, Mars? As in the guy we named the planet after?"

"That's him."

"Wow... I mean... werewolves and banshees are one thing, but gods? This is all very _Percy Jackson_."

"I wouldn't know. I never read those books."

"They're books?!"

"What did you think the movies were based off of?"

"I don't know, Lydia! Someone's imagination?"

Lydia crossed her arms. "You're being condescending again."

Stiles took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine..." Lydia crossed her arms and lowered her head suspiciously.

Stiles raised his eyebrow. "What are you not telling me?"

Lydia took a deep breath. "I just...I told her you were my deaf brother."

"What?!"

"It was the first thing I could think of. It's not like you would be able to talk to her. You don't know Latin, so I had to come up with a reason that wouldn't require you to talk. I told her that because you couldn't hear you were blessed with other abilities."

Stiles raised his eyebrow. "What kind of abilities?"

"Basically, that you're drawn to those in danger and that when you touch those you're drawn to, you can see how they die."

"So, basically you turned me into a banshee."

"In the loosest sense of the word. I told her you had been drawn to her. She's waiting for your prediction." Stiles looked over Lydia's shoulder and saw Aeliana standing there.

"How do we do this?"

"Just walk up to her, touch her, then pull me aside and whisper something. Then I'll make up whatever I need to."

Stiles sighed. "Well, when in Rome, right?"

Lydia stared at him for a moment. "You've been waiting to use that-"

Stiles cut her off. "Yes. Yes I have. Lead the way."

Lydia smiled and led him back to Aeliana. Lydia said something in Latin to Aeliana-Stiles figured it was just an introduction. Aeliana stared at him. From here, he could see that her eyes were blue and he didn't need powers to see the fear in them as well. He looked to Lydia who motioned her head toward the girl. She held her hands out and Stiles slowly took them in his own and closed his eyes. He half expected Lydia's story to come true and see some kind of vision, but there was nothing but darkness.

He was just about to open his eyes and let go when someone touched his shoulder. All of a sudden there was flash of Aeliana against a wall, hands around her neck. The hand moved away and as soon as it was gone the vision went away too. Stiles's quickly dropped Aeliana's hands and opened his eyes, gasping for air. He looked over to Lydia, who was also gasping.

"Lydia!" He whispered under his breath.

Lydia, who had sort of doubled over, looked up and caught his eye and nodded. She had seen the vision too.

Aeliana, in a panic, began speaking Latin very quickly and Lydia tried to calm her down and tell her what they had seen.

Stiles just wished he knew _why_ and _how_ he had seen it.


	7. Never Make Me Deaf Again

**_060813_ **

**_Ancient Rome_ **

**_1343 Hours_ **

**_Inside the City_ **

Lydia had finally stopped Aeliana from panicking-temporarily at least. Stiles saw her motion to Lydia to stay, and then ran toward the large structure that Mars had disappeared to before. Once she was out of ear shot, Stiles abruptly turned to Lydia.

"What the _hell_ was that?!" They both yelled at the same time.

"You saw it too, right?" Lydia asked him. "She was being choked."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, I mean... you touched me and all of a sudden I-"

"Wait."Lydia interrupted with a confused look on her face. "I didn't touch you."

"You didn't? Are you sure?"

"Uh, I think I would _know_ if I touched you."

"Well, _some_ body touched me. If it wasn't you then who was it?"

Lydia shook her head and shrugged. "My eyes were open until that vision, but there was no one else around you." Lydia paused as if she was thinking about something, "Although..." She continued. "I felt the sudden need to grab Aeliana's shoulder."

Stiles's eyes widened. "Her right shoulder?"

Lydia crinkled her forehead in thought. "No, her left."

Stiles sighed. "Okay. Let's put the _how_ and _why_ of the vision away for a moment and talk about the vision itself."

Lydia nodded in agreement. "She seemed really freaked out."

"Well, duh! You just told her she was going to be choked to death. I'd freak out too! Hell, I'm freaking out right now."

"Okay, let's think about this. Did you notice anything that we could use to find out who's going to kill her?"

"I don't know, I mean... they looked like a man's hands. Right?"

Lydia shrugged. "I didn't really see the hands, I couldn't look away from her face."

Stiles looked around. "Where did she even go?"

"She said she had to tell Mars and asked us to stay here."

"But what if Mars is the one who kills her? I mean, he is the god of war. Sounds like a pretty violent guy. Should we have let her go in by herself?"

Lydia looked like she was just beginning to doubt herself, when she saw Aeliana running back out- with Mars right behind her.

Mars began speaking in Latin and Stiles sighed and tuned him out. _I might as well be deaf._ He thought to himself. _It's not like I can communicate or understand anything anyway_.

Lydia suddenly grabbed his wrist and Stiles jumped, slightly shocked. He had been lost in his own world. Lydia motioned toward Aeliana who had her hands out, ready for Stiles to tell her future once more. Lydia, really trying to sell the 'deaf' thing, touched his wrist again to get his attention. She held her right hand up, her first two finger in a _V_ , and pointed to her eyes, then motioned outward. Then she drew a circle around her face with her pointer finger.

Stiles panicked for a moment. "What?" He mouthed. He didn't know sign language (well he still remembered how to say 'When is a door not a door') he wasn't even sure if she was using real sign language or not. He really sucked at charades too. Lydia must have sensed his freak out, because she moved her hand up his arm and rubbed gently, then made the first motion again. Stiles took a deep breath, _Eyes. Watch. See. Look. Focus._ She repeated the second motion. _Head. Face. Was she referring to herself? Did she want him to watch her?_ No, he decided. If she was referring to herself, she would have pointed to her chest. _Focus Head?_ Well, his head did need to focus, but that didn't seem like what she was trying to say either. _See face. Wait... See face! See the attacker's face!_ Stiles mentally slapped himself. Of course they would want to see his face.

Stiles nodded and grabbed Aeliana's hands again and closed his eyes. For a moment, he saw nothing, but then the image of Aeliana being choked popped into his head once more. He desperately wanted to look away, but had to keep looking to see who it was. Suddenly, he heard a man's voice. It spoke Latin, but for some reason in the vision, he understood. "You are not worthy of a god, filthy human girl!" He saw Aeliana's body go limp and he couldn't watch any longer. He let go, and opened his eyes. He saw Lydia remove her hand from Aeliana's back, and he shook his head.

Lydia said something in Latin and then grabbed Stiles's arm and led him a few feet away. Lydia turned his back toward Mars and Aeliana, then she faced him, She opened her mouth slightly and spoke through her teeth softly so that her mouth didn't move. "Talk soft so they don't hear you, and use hand gestures."

Stiles moved his hands randomly, "Did you not see what I saw?"

"I don't know." She told him. "I don't know what you saw. I just saw more of her being choked to death, and then the death part...then I heard something, but it didn't sound like actual words."

Stiles's eyes widened. "That's exactly how _I_ feel!"

"Shh!"

"Sorry." Stiles lowered his voice again. "It was Latin, but I understood it."

"How did you understand it?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well what did he say?"

"He told her she wasn't worthy of a god. Then, he called her a filthy human girl."

Lydia nodded. "Alright. Well, let me let them know."

Lydia walked back to Mars and Aeliana and told them what Stiles heard.

Mars looked angry and yelled something then began to walk away with Aeliana on his heels.

Lydia turned to Stiles and whispered quickly, "He wants us to follow him."

"Follow him _where_?!" He whisper-yelled back to her. Lydia just put a finger in front of her lips, telling him to be quiet. Stiles huffed. "Never make me deaf again!" he exclaimed at the same soft volume, then walked quickly ahead of Lydia.

They walked toward a temple of sorts, but the inside reminded Stiles of a castle. The three humans were told to stand at the entrance while Mars went down a hallway. Aeliana looked terrified, but what Stiles didn't know was if she was terrified because of what they had told her, or if it was this place that made her scared. When Mars finally returned, he brought two very large guards with him. They walked right up to Stiles and Lydia and began to walk them down a different hall than the one Mars had gone down. Lydia was having a frantic conversation with one of the guards. They were taken to a room that didn't have any windows, but it was very ornate-far from being a dungeon.

Once the guards left, Stiles turned quickly to Lydia. "Oh my God, Lyd. I'm freaking out!

Lydia took a shaky breath. "They wouldn't say much, they just said they were sending someone to confirm our claims."

"Well, we really had a vision... and by the way, what the hell were those about? How is it that we can all of a sudden see the future? This is insane!"

"Not exactly." Said a male voice. Stiles and Lydia both widened their eyes and looked toward the door. "Hello. My name is Apollo." Another man stepped up behind him, except this one had two heads facing in opposite directions. "This is Janus."

"You're..."Lydia started. "You're speaking English."

"It is the language that you speak, correct?" Apollo asked.

Lydia nodded.

Janus spoke, both mouths moving, "You are not from this time."

Lydia shook her head. "No, we're not."

"What brings you to our time?" Apollo asked. Lydia opened her mouth to answer, but Apollo interrupted. "Not you. You, boy. Speak!"

Stiles cleared his throat. "Well, that's a really long story. The short version is that we're trying to save our pack."

"Pack?" Apollo questioned.

"Our friends." Stiles clarified. "A guy from our future, went back in time and changed the timeline. His actions caused our entire group to die. We're trying to fix it."

Janus closed all four of his eyes, then opened them back up. "You will not succeed."

Stiles felt his stomach drop. "Hey, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Actually he does." Apollo told him. "He can see the beginning and the end. He presides over transitions and journeys, like the one you're on."

"Oh..." Stiles said softly.

"There are many variables in your current journey. But, even if you succeed and do everything right, the man who tears your family apart, will continue to do so. It's a never-ending cycle."

"Then how do we stop him?" Lydia asked.

"You don't." He stated bluntly. "But I will see what I can do to help."

"As for this vision.." Apollo started.

Stiles perked up for a moment. "Look, I don't know how this happened. I never had visions before."

"I know." Apollo told him. "I owed Aeliana a favor. She so wanted to believe in what you said you could do, so I gave you the ability to see her future."

"What about how he could understand Latin and I couldn't in the vision?" Lydia asked

"You two must share some sort of connection. A tether. Since you were both touching the girl when I gave him the gift, your energies were shared."

"That makes no sense." Stiles gave a frustrated sigh. "Can you just get rid of it?"

"It's already been done."

"Thank God...or...err...gods?"

"In it's place," Apollo continued. "I have given you the ability to understand and speak our language."

"What a relief!"

"When we walk back to Mars and Aeliana, you will tell them that we cured your malady, but in order to do that, we had to take away your visions. "

"So, the truth... basically."

"Are you two ready?" Apollo asked.

"Let's go find us a killer!" Stiles said with a little too much enthusiasm. Lydia turned to face him, with a small smirk on her face and Stiles blushed. "I mean, yeah. Let's go."


	8. There Has to be a Balance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as an FYI, I live in Orlando which is currently preparing for Hurricane Matthew. If we end up losing power, I may not be able to post tomorrow or the next day, but I'll post as soon as I'm able to.
> 
> Also, I'm completely freaking out over this new trailer! And my roommate and I are currently re-watching season 1.

**_060813_ **

**_Ancient Rome_ **

**_1612 Hours_ **

**_Aeliana's House_ **

Stiles, Lydia, Apollo, Janus, Mars and Aeliana had all gone back to Aeliana's house. Aeliana was making tea for her guests while everyone else was sitting around the table.

Stiles sat back, just listening to the conversation between the three gods. He and Lydia would chime in every now and then, but they weren't talking about anything to do with the visions at the moment. It was just so strange to him to be communicating in a language that he didn't even know an hour ago.

Stiles looked over at Aeliana. For learning that she was supposed to die soon, she was in surprisingly good spirits. And to top it off, she genuinely seemed like a good person. She was so happy when they told her that Stiles could now speak. She didn't even care that he could no longer see her future.

There was something that had been bothering him though. "I have a question." He announced in Latin, then realized that he had no idea what they had been talking about and that he had probably just interrupted somebody. Five pairs of eyes turned to look at him. "Sorry," he told them. "This doesn't have anything to do with what we were just saying, it's just something that I have to ask."

"Then ask." Janus said, with a look that said he knew the question already.

Stiles cleared his throat. "Why is it that Janus or Apollo can't see Aeliana's future?"

"We," Apollo began and motioned to Janus and himself, "Can't see the future of other gods."

"But that doesn't make sense." Stiles started, shaking his head. "Aeliana isn't a god."

The three gods exchanged looks.

"She's pregnant." Lydia surmised. "Isn't she?"

Mars nodded.

"Oh!." Was all Stiles could say.

"Well, since we're talking about it now," Lydia began. "What if that's what causes the struggle to begin with? What if whoever it is, finds out Aeliana is pregnant with Mars's child?"

The three gods exchange looks again.

"Wait, what was that?" Stiles asked as he saw the look that passed between them.

"What do you mean?" Janus asked.

"That look! You guys just shared a look." Stiles gasped. "Aeliana isn't having Mars's baby!" Something shattered behind them, and they all turned their heads toward Aeliana who had dropped the tea she was holding. Her face was white and she looked like she was about to cry. Mars rushed to her side to help her pick up the pieces of the broken pottery.

Lydia turned back to look at two gods still sitting at the table. "If it's not Mars's baby, then whose baby is it?"

Aeliana's timid voice spoke up from behind them. "Cupid."

"You mean the baby that shoots arrows?" Stiles asked with a confused expression.

"What?" Mars asked as his and Aeliana's expressions matched Stiles.

Stiles realized what he had said. Mars and Aeliana still didn't know that they had traveled back in time. "Never mind. I was thinking of something else."

"Do you think it's possible that Cupid is the attacker?" Lydia asked. "Does he know that Aeliana is having his child?"

"In the vision he called her a filthy human girl."

Mars nodded. "It's very likely that Cupid is the one who hurts Aeliana. He loves her, but she loves me."

Aeliana spoke up, "If Cupid found out I was pregnant, but thought that it was with Mars, he would be furious. But I wouldn't want him to know the child was his either."

"Well," Stiles stood up. "I say, we go pay Cupid a visit."

"And tell him what?" Mars asked.

Stiles shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should just... see how he feels about you. Ask him questions and see if he responds violently."

"Well, I'll come with you." Aeliana told them. She was met with "No!" from everyone else.

"It's best that you stay here." Apollo told her. "If Cupid doesn't react well, we don't need you near him."

"We'll be back soon." Mars kissed the top of her head and the five of them headed off.

**_060813_ **

**_Ancient Rome_ **

**_1857 Hours_ **

**_Walking Back to Aeliana's House_ **

"So," Stiles began. "He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her."

"Also, his voice didn't sound as rough as the guy in the vision." Lydia said.

"True!" Stiles agreed.

Cupid didn't seem violent toward Aeliana, and the group had decided that he was not the one who would hurt her. When Apollo, Mars, Stiles, and Lydia left, Janus stayed behind. He told Lydia he was going to do what he could to help them on their journey.

Apollo shook his head. "No, you're right. He's not her attacker."

"Which begs the question," Lydia started, "Who else could it be?"

"There are plenty of people who could be upset with her for being with one god, much less two." Apollo sighed.

They were coming up on Aeliana's house, when they heard yelling coming from inside.

The four of them exchanged looks before running toward the house. Mars and Apollo made it there before Stiles and Lydia did. When the two teens walked inside, Apollo was crouched down next to Aeliana on the floor and Mars had a man pinned against the wall. Stiles was frozen in place. He looked at Aeliana and her lifeless form. Worry crept in that they may have been too late. Then he looked at Mars who was not just holding the man against the wall like he originally thought. His hands were around the man's throat, and his face was turning purple. Lydia ran to Aeliana's side. Stiles was about to walk over to Mars, but Lydia called his name.

"Stiles!" His head jerked toward her. "Get me a wet cloth."

"I..." Stiles tried, but couldn't form a sentence in his head. He wanted to say he didn't know where anything was, but then he saw Mars drop the man on the ground and begin to kick him repeatedly. "Mars! Stop! You're going to kill him!" He yelled.

"Stiles!" Lydia yelled again.

"Mars!" Stiles yelled again. He felt tears in his eyes, and he still couldn't move. He felt helpless and he hated feeling helpless. He wanted so badly to turn away from the gruesome attack, but he couldn't. His eyes were glued to Mars and the man. Lydia ran past him, probably to get the cloth herself, and tears were still stinging his eyes. Lydia ran back, and Stiles still couldn't move. It was definitely overkill. Mars continued to kick and beat the man until he heard his name come from Aeliana's fragile lips.

Mars's ears perked up and he stopped and turned back toward her. He ran and knelt down next to her, and Stiles's couldn't stop his eyes from landing on the man who was on the ground. Luckily, his feet were suddenly able to move. He ran out the front door and promptly emptied the contents of his stomach on the grass. The man had been beaten to a bloody pulp and Stiles knew he was dead. The sight made him physically sick. He felt a hand on his back and recognized it as Lydia's.

"That wasn't how that was supposed to go." He told her. "We were supposed to save Aeliana, not get somebody killed."

"There has to be a balance, Stiles." Lydia replied.

Stiles jerked away from her touch and turned to face her."What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that if one person doesn't die, then somebody else has to."

"Well, if that's how this works then I don't want to be a part of it. Let's just go home." He turned away as if he was going to walk off.

"If we give up now, then we'll die." Lydia tried to reason with him.

"Are our lives really more important?" His voice raised an octave as he whipped around to face her once more.

"What about Scott or Kira, or Liam?" He turned away. "Stiles, what about Allison?"

At Allison's name Stiles stopped and his breath caught in his throat. "What?" He gasped out, still not facing her.

"Her name was in the book. What if she wasn't supposed to die? What if this saves her?" Stiles let his mind be flooded with memories of the brunette. He still somewhat blamed himself for her death. "And what about the other people on this list that died before it was their time? We can save all of them, Stiles. One by one." He felt his breathing quicken as a distant memory tickled the back of his mind. _We're going to destroy all of them, Stiles. One by one._ His mind began to race as he thought about the nogitsune and wondering where Allison's death fit into all of that. Did she die because of the nogitsune? Or was it because of who it possessed? Would that mean that he would never have to live with the guilt from all of the trouble that the nogitsune caused? "Stiles?" Lydia's voice brought him back.

He took a deep breath and turned to look at her once more. He looked into her green eyes, full of emotion. He could see worry, hope, sadness, fear...all in one glance. A strand of strawberry blonde hair fell into her face and Stiles reached up to push it behind her ear. Lydia's mouth opened slightly at Stiles's movement and they locked eyes for a moment.

The sound of someone clearing their throat took them out of their gazes. They turned to face Apollo.

"Aeliana will be okay. The man who attacked her was her own father." Stiles heard Lydia gasp next to him. "He found out she was pregnant and would rather have his daughter dead than have everyone know that she was no longer a virgin."

"That's terrible." Lydia said.

"And um...what about her father?" Stiles asked, already knowing the answer.

Apollo shook his head. Stiles nodded in understanding as he tried to blink away the images of her father lying on the ground bruised and bleeding.

"We can take care of it from here. You should probably be getting on."

Stiles nodded again, this time in agreement. "Thanks, Apollo. It was nice to meet you. You're a pretty cool guy."

"You two work well together. Good luck. I hope your journey brings you what you want."

Lydia smiled and looped her arm through Stiles's. "Bye."


	9. Naked

_**05041646** _

_**England** _

_**1547 Hours** _

_**The Worthington Estate** _

 

Stiles opened his eyes and looked around at where he and Lydia had ended up. Before he could get a real sense of the place, Lydia had grabbed his hand and led him over to the side of the wall that was keeping them off the grounds of the large house in front of them.

"There are tons of guards around." Lydia whispered.

Stiles was still slightly discombobulated. Apparently, when they made it back to the alcove where Stiles had stored the backpack, the two of them had fallen asleep. They hadn't realized how tired they had been. Stiles had been woken up by Lydia shaking him, holding the device in her hands.

" _Stiles! We fell asleep! Wake up! We need to go!"_ Stiles had stood up and made sure Lydia had the backpack and grabbed onto the device. Now they were here (wherever 'here' was) and he had barely woken up five minutes ago.

Stiles attempted to focus on the people in front of him. There were more than just guards. Men were coming in and out of the large house, and women were standing out of the way.

"It looks like they're setting up for a party." Stiles told Lydia. "Who's the next person on the list?"

Lydia reached into the backpack, replaced the device, and pulled out the piece of paper. "It just says 'Henry of Worthington'" Stiles glanced around and saw a sign.

_The Worthington Estate_.

"He must be the owner." Stiles said, pointing to the sign.

"Great." Lydia sighed. "So how are we supposed to get in?"

"Well, first we should figure out how to blend in." He said, as he looked down at the clothes they were wearing. They had changed back into their sweats before falling asleep. He felt bad about taking someone's clothes, so they left them there to be found again. Stiles looked back at Lydia for a moment, then did a double take. "Oh my God! Wha- what the hell are you doing?!" Lydia was pulling her shirt over her head. Stiles couldn't decide between closing his eyes, looking away and just blocking her with his hand, and staring straight at her face. He ran through all the motions several times, looking a little spastic, before Lydia started talking and he settled on staring into her eyes, but keeping his hand up to block her cleavage (thank God she was wearing a bra).

Lydia sighed. "Calm down, Stiles. You act like you've never seen me naked before." He had. Once. And he had promptly passed out. He felt his cheeks heat up and she reached behind her and began to unclasp her bra.

"Jesus, Lydia!" He exclaimed and reached for her arms to pin them to her sides. Stiles stared at Lydia's face, and saw the smirk appear. It was the smirk that made him realize the mistake that he had made. He felt her strap hit his hand and knew that he had been too late in grabbing her. She had already unclasped the bra and it was now falling forward. He was fighting so hard not to look down further. "Would you," He started, his voice coming out a little higher-pitched than he would have liked, "Mind telling me why you're stripping out in the open?"

"We need to blend in." She told him. "Obviously, these aren't going to cut it."

"I get that, but can't you wait until we find clothes before you start undressing?"

"This _is_ my plan for us finding clothes." Lydia glanced at his chest and then back up to his eyes. "Take your shirt off."

"Excuse me?" He backed away, far enough so that even though he was staring at her face, he saw her breasts in his peripheral, and as almost an involuntary action, his eye flicked downward. He immediately felt himself blush and snapped his head skyward so that he wouldn't stare. Lydia grabbed his face in both of her hands and angled it downward. Stiles squeezed his eyes shut.

"Open your eyes." She commanded. Stiles opened them slowly and found himself staring directly at her chest, unable to move his head. "They're just boobs."

"To you." He said, but Lydia was holding face so tight that he could barely move his mouth. "You see them everyday." Stiles was desperately trying think about something other than the fact he was staring at Lydia Martin's bare chest and she wasn't stopping him. In fact, she was kind of forcing him. True, he and Lydia were really good friends, she was probably his best friend...aside from Scott obviously, but they were more like brothers anyway...but if he was honest with himself, he never really got over his crush on her. In fact, it had become way more than just a crush since he had actually gotten to know her and not just gawk from afar.

"The plan," Lydia began, "Is that we convince them that we were robbed on our way through town and everything, including the clothes off our back, was stolen.

"So, we're just going to show up completely naked?"

"Why not?"

"I..I'm not as comfortable with my body as you seem to be with yours."

Lydia sighed, and as she took the breath in, her breasts rose and Stiles thought his face was going to be buried between them. Luckily, (or unluckily), that didn't happen. "Okay, well... What if I blocked you? I could stand in front of you, or you could carry me in?"

Stiles thought about those scenarios for a moment. If he carried her out in front of him, he would still be in full view, and that's really what he wanted to avoid. If she stood in front of him, that would work, but then he would want to protect her from all the men that would definitely be staring, so he could walk behind her with his arm on her breasts and his other hand covering her-

"Nope!" He said quickly and pushed Lydia away from him. He looked up into the sky again and closed his eyes, put his hands on his hips, and turned away from Lydia slightly. "It's hot out here." He said, his voice breaking slightly and he pulled on the collar of his t-shirt to fan himself.

"Stiles, what's your problem?"

"My problem?" He asked as he turned to look at her. "Lydia...how do I put this in the least embarrassing terms possible?... I'm a guy. An _eighteen_ year-old guy. With hormones." He gestured between the two of them. "You and I? Naked? Touching each other?" He shook his head. "That's not going to end well." He looked back up into the sky. "It's actually not _starting_ too well, if you catch my drift."

Lydia stifled a laugh and quickly covered her mouth. "Okay, I'm sorry."

"I do like your plan though. We just have to figure out another way to go about it."

* * *

_**05041646** _

_**England** _

_**1631 Hours** _

_**The Worthington Estate** _

Stiles was trying to figure out how to keep his pants up. Lord Henry of Worthington was a slightly larger man than him, so his clothes did not fit the way they should.

They ended up finding blankets in the backpack that Elbie must have put in there for them. Stiles had stealthily hidden the backpack under his blanket as they came to the gates. Lydia put on the best performance of her life, calling Stiles her husband and telling the guards that the two of them had been robbed by bandits. The only thing that was left were the blankets because they were the least valuable thing in their carriage. After hearing a commotion, the Lord and Lady of the household had come out and took pity on them. Then they invited the two to the party they were throwing for Henry's birthday and had even invited them to stay the night.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to kill Lord Henry. He's so nice." Stiles told Lydia as he sat down on the bed in the room they had been given to change in.

Lydia was changing behind a partition, mainly for Stiles's benefit, because she obviously didn't care. "No one said that it would be murder. Just because Aeliana's death would have been murder doesn't mean they're all going to be that way."

"True." Stiles shrugged.

"But," Lydia came out from behind the partition. "This one feels like a murder." Stiles and Lydia were both dressed in simple clothes. Lydia's dress was all one color, a light green, with no designs. Stiles had a baggy beige shirt on and brown pants that, again, were too large. They had a few hours before the party and Lord and Lady Worthington were supposed to be bringing them more elegant clothes before that.

"Wow!" Stiles said as he got a good look at what Lydia was wearing.

"What?" She asked with a laugh.

"Nothing. It's just...I've never seen you in anything like that."

'I know." Lydia made a face. "I think I'm glad I wasn't born in this time period. I don't think I really pull it off."

"Really? Because I was thinking just the opposite. I can't wait to see what they bring you for tonight."

"I'll probably have to wear a corset." Lydia said with a sigh as she plopped down next to Stiles.

Stiles nodded. "So...you told them we were married this time."

"Yeah, I decided to mix it up." Stiles nodded. "Plus, I mean... I was naked-"

"Yes. Yes you were."

"-And I didn't want all of those men to think that I was just up for grabs." Neither of them were looking at the other. "I wanted them to know that if they had tried something, I had somebody that would stand up for me."

Stiles smiled and turned his head to face her. "I'll always stand up for you."

Lydia looked at him with a small smile on her face. Stiles couldn't break his eyes away from her smile. All of a sudden, he realized he was getting closer and closer to her lips. He wasn't sure if it was him, or her, or both of them, but it was definitely happening.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Stiles jumped apart from her and stood quickly. "I should get that." He told her and headed toward the door.

 


	10. The Worst Afternoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would like to read an interesting anecdote from when I was writing this chapter, read the Author's note at the end. Hope you enjoy. This was one of my favorite chapters.

_**05041646** _

_**England** _

_**1704 Hours** _

_**The Worthington Estate** _

Lydia had been listening to Henry's wife, Elizabeth, babble on and on for several minutes while a girl yanked and tugged at her hair. The banshee's thoughts were a little preoccupied on Stiles. She had suddenly realized that this was the first time in what seemed like days that they weren't right next to each other, and she felt vulnerable. Not because she didn't think she could take care of herself. She was perfectly able of kicking butt if need be. No, it was more like when Stiles was right next to her, he made her feel safe and gave her confidence in her own abilities. He had been gone for maybe 15 minutes, and even though she knew he wasn't far away, she missed him.

"What about you and your husband?" She heard Elizabeth say. She hadn't been paying attention. What was that woman going on about again?

"Begging your pardon, miss." Lydia said in her best English accent. "My head was somewhere else. What was the question?"

"Oh, it's quite alright." Elizabeth said cheerily. "Intercourse." Lydia's eyes widened slightly. "I was saying that Henry and I will do it at least twice a day."

Lydia coughed and cleared her throat. "Uh..that's...that's a little private. Don't you think?"

"Oh, it's just us girls! So come on! Out with it!"

"I..uh..."

"Come on! Tell me!"

"Um..once..."Lydia paused and Elizabeth waited expectantly for Lydia to finish her sentence. "A day."

"Oh!" She smirked haughtily. As if she was somehow better than Lydia because she and her husband had more sex than Lydia and Stiles did. Lydia began to feel anger building up inside of her. This woman didn't even know them. Who was she to judge?

"In fact," Lydia was saying before she could stop herself. "We just finished doing it on that bed right before you walked in!" Elizabeth's eyes widened and Lydia smiled to herself.

_**05041646** _

_**England** _

_**1714 Hours** _

_**The Worthington Estate** _

Stiles was clenching and unclenching his fists at his side. "I mean," Henry was saying, laughing so hard he was turning purple. "What kind of man, just sits back and let's men take his wife's clothes. And you didn't even fight back!" When Henry and Elizabeth came to the door, Elizabeth stayed in the room with Lydia, and Stiles had been taken back to Henry's room so that they could each get dressed for the party. Stiles didn't realize the entire time he spent with Henry would consist of being emasculated for something that didn't even happen. What was worse is that he couldn't even stick up for himself without admitting they made the entire thing up.

Henry continued on, saying something about how Stiles didn't even throw a punch. Finally, he'd had enough. Calmly, but forcefully, he said, "I killed a guy last year. I'm trying a non-violent approach."He paused as he had an idea. "In fact, my wife finds the non-violence rather attractive." He added a wink and Henry, stopped laughing. The smile faded, and he looked as if he was in deep thought about whether Stiles was telling the truth or not. Stiles continued getting dressed, and Henry didn't say much after that, but Stiles knew that Henry had still won that round.

Guests began to arrive for the party and once he was dressed, Stiles was sent out of the room to gather with the rest of the attendees. Henry and Elizabeth would make their grand entrance later. Stiles wore light tan pants and a blue jacket over a white shirt. The shirt was a little too frilly for his taste, but this was the fashion back then. As he walked out, he looked around, but didn't see Lydia anywhere. What he needed was a drink after the afternoon he'd had, but they were only serving wine. Stiles decided that if that he couldn't have any hard liquor, he would rather have no alcohol at all.

Next to him, he heard a few murmurs of "Who's that?"

Stiles turned to see who everyone was talking about and saw Lydia coming down the stairs. She was stunning. She wore a dress, a similar shade of blue to Stiles's coat, with gold embroidery. The sleeves were quarter-length, but there was lace at the end that came down past her hands. There had to have been something underneath that dress that made it come out a foot on each side of her waist. Her hair was put up into a bun with small tendrils framing her face. Lydia was looking around and Stiles knew she was looking for him. He stepped through the crowd and finally made eye contact with her. He walked up a few steps and held his arm out for her to grab onto.

"Milady." Stiles smiled.

"Why, thank you, kind sir." She smiled as she took his arm and they finished the staircase together. Lydia looked around uncomfortably. "I feel like this is the first day back at school after running around in the woods for three days. Everybody is staring at me."

"That's because you're beautiful." He said before he processed it in his head. He realized what he said and looked down, just missing Lydia's blush.

"Thank you. That's nice to hear, after the worst afternoon of my life."

"You too?" He asked, snapping his head back toward her. Lydia nodded ."God...do you remember what I said about Henry being nice? Well I take it back. I take it all back. He's terrible. The whole time, all he did was rag on me about how I didn't stop the bandits from taking your clothes. You know, I may not even try to stop whoever tries to kill him. Hell, I may even do it myself."

"Well, at least he wasn't asking you questions about your sex life."

Stiles's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah." Lydia nodded. "All afternoon, oh but don't worry. She shared some stories of her own. A bit of an _over_ share to be more precise. Oh, if she asks you... our marriage was arranged by our parents, but we both fell in love at first sight; we have two children, and I may or may not be pregnant with the third; we have sex once a day; and we _definitely_ did it on that bed upstairs while we were supposed to be getting clothes on."

"Wow... you talked about all that?"

Lydia shrugged, "I _might_ have gotten a little competitive."

Stiles nodded. "Well, the having sex upstairs kind of corroborates my story of non-violence turning you on."

"What?"

"Well, while he was emasculating me, I couldn't think of what to do, so I told him I was taking a new stance on violence and that you found it hot, more or less. I also implied that we had sex afterward, but I don't know if he caught that. He seemed a little confused. "

Lydia chuckled and shook her head.

A few minutes later, Henry and Elizabeth appeared. Everyone clapped as they descended the stairs into the ballroom, even Lydia and Stiles-although very reluctantly. The small band they had hired began to play a song and Henry led Elizabeth over to the middle of the dance floor and the other guests all made room for them. They began to dance, just the two of them for a bit, then the music swelled and everyone was joining in.

"Well,"Stiles started. "I guess we should probably dance."

Lydia nodded. "It's okay, I've done research on old ballroom dances." Stiles gave her a quizzical look as Lydia pulled him onto the dance floor. Lydia began pushing and pulling him in and away from her, and he knew it looked sloppy. It probably also looked strange for the woman to be leading instead of the man. Henry caught Stiles's eye. The man was giving him a smug look and Stiles felt anger boiling up inside him. Then he stepped on Lydia's foot.

"Lydia!" Stiles said more forcefully than he meant to. He gave a frustrated sigh. "Would you let me lead?!" Lydia was slightly taken aback. She nodded and Stiles repositioned them, placing her hand on his shoulder, his hand on her waist and held her other hand off to the side. Soon they were gliding across the floor. _Down up up. Down up up._ He saw Henry's face again. There was a look of shock and jealousy and Stiles smiled smugly to himself. Stiles turned back to Lydia who had a pleasantly surprised look on her face.

"You do realize the Waltz wasn't popular in England for another 150 to 200 years from now. Right?" She smirked.

Stiles shrugged. "We travel a lot with our three children."

"It's just two at the moment."

"Oh, that's right. You're pregnant with the third one."

"Possibly." She smiled. "I haven't decided yet."

He tightened his grip on her waist and she gasped lightly and blushed, but then again so did Stiles. He wasn't sure why he just did that.

"Where did you learn to dance like this?"

Stiles smiled at a memory. "My mom used be obsessed with ballroom dance. She would turn on music and we would dance together in the living room. I was never really good at it." His smile faded slightly. "When she got sick, I started taking lessons, thinking that when she got better I would surprise her by showing her what I learned." He looked down. "But I never got the chance."

Lydia felt like she was going to cry. "Stiles, I-"

"It's fine." He said quickly and forced a smile. Lydia touched his arm. He chuckled, "I can't believe I even remembered how to do this." Lydia gave a small laugh. She bit her lip as she stared at him and he stared back at her. He felt like they may have been having another moment. His brain was moving quickly, over-thinking the situation for sure, then out of the corner of his eye he saw a goblet of wine.

"Stiles?" Lydia asked.

Stiles barely heard her. His brain had continued moving at a rapid pace. "Lydia, the wine." He finally said. Lydia wrinkled her forehead in confusion for a moment before realizing what he was talking about. She saw a goblet of wine over his shoulder and immediately understood his thought process.

"It's poison!" They both announced to each other at the same time.

They began looking around for Henry but neither of them were able to find him.

"Where the hell is he?" Stiles yelled in frustration, receiving a few glances from people standing around them. "What are you looking at?" He said as he glared at them. Lydia put her hand on his shoulder.

"Stiles, look!" She pointed at the other side of the room. Henry was taking the goblet from one of his servants. He was continuing to talk to the person he was with, but slowly began to bring it to his lips.

"Henry!" Stiles called out, but the music and talking were both too loud for Henry to hear him.

Stiles grabbed Lydia's hand and began to try to make his way through the crowd to Henry. Although, it seemed like nobody would move. He felt Lydia stop abruptly and he turned to face her. Everything began to move in slow motion. There was almost a look of defeat on her face. Stiles began to wonder what would happen if they failed. What if they didn't save everybody? Lydia gave Stiles a look and they seemed to share a similar thought. He let go of her hand began to cover his ears and duck as Lydia let out an ear-piercing scream. Glass began to shatter around them and people all over began to duck and cover their ears. Henry dropped his goblet as he scrambled to shield himself.

The screaming finally stopped and Stiles stood back up. "That was impressive." he told her. Lydia gave a small smile and stumbled into him. "Whoa." He said as he caught her.

"I'm fine." she said.

"Just lean into me." He told her.

"What was all that racket?" Henry demanded to know as soon he was able to get his bearings.

Everyone turned to face Stiles and Lydia. The two teens exchanged looks and Stiles sighed. "About that..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was listening to the Glee Cast version of The Time Warp when I began to think, "What if Lydia and Stiles somehow went back in time? What would I want to see happen?" The first thing that popped in my head was the two of them waltzing... Lydia tries to lead, but then Stiles gets frustrated says "Would you let me lead?!" Then proceeds to impress her with his abilities. I planned out all the time periods I wanted them to visit and I had originally had them doing this scene in the 1800s, then I decided to spread it out more and set this chapter in the 1600s. I wrote and posted the last chapter, then as I was writing this chapter, I was trying to find a song that would have hopefully been popular at the time to have them reference and dance to.
> 
> As I'm trying to find a song that's well known, I was coming up empty. Everything that would have been well known wasn't written for several hundred more years. So then I was like...well... Lydia probably knows classical music, let me just find a song that's on YouTube that you guys could listen to, and know what I was hearing when I wrote the scene. I found songs...just not a good waltzing song... so then I was like...wait a second...when did the waltz get popular in England?
> 
> What I found? Not really until the 19th century (AKA 1800s). It was mentioned in the mid-1500s to late 1700s but just around Austria where the dance originated. So I thought about going back and editing the previous chapter to change the dates, but then ultimately decided to just make the dance ambiguous, so it would be impossible to tell what dance they were actually dancing, just that they were dancing... then as I was originally posting this chapter, I had typed this in the Author's Note: "So, I have a confession... I goofed up a little on the time period. The dance scene is one of the first that popped in my head that made me decide to write this fic. I was so excited to get to this scene that I didn't realize the dance I had originally imagined them dancing would not be popular in England for another 150-200 years."
> 
> Then I stopped and thought...wait a minute... Stiles and Lydia are from the FUTURE they already know the Waltz exists. They're going to waltz damn it! So I rewrote the scene adding in the small exchange about travelling and whatnot (and the Waltz not being popular for another 150-200 years) and there you go!
> 
> So if you're still reading this, thanks! And let me know what you think!


	11. Jealous Much?

_**05041646** _

_**England** _

_**2022 Hours** _

_**The Worthington Estate** _

Stiles crossed his arms as Lydia began folding down the covers on the bed. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Lydia groaned and sighed. "I told you, and for the tenth time, I'm fine." She had already taken off the bird cage-looking contraption that made her dress flare out and took her hair down as well.

"Well, you didn't look fine when you nearly passed out down there!" Stiles raised his voice slightly and pointed at the door.

"Why are you angry?" She asked with a bite.

Stiles scoffed and thought about it. He sighed. "I'm not-" He started loudly, and saw the look of annoyance on Lydia's face, so he took a deep breath and, softer, he said. "I'm not angry."

"You could have fooled me." She muttered. Stiles ignored the comment.

"It's just, I freak out when you get hurt, okay? I always have."

Lydia sighed. "I just haven't used my voice like that in a while and it took a lot out of me, but really...I'm fine."

Stiles nodded slowly, then changed the subject. "So, two down..." He made a face "Or...two  _not_ down I guess you could say."

Lydia chuckled. "Yeah, we did it. We got lucky." Lydia's look saddened. "That poor dog though." When Stiles tried to tell Henry that his wine was poisoned, Henry didn't believe him. It wasn't until Elizabeth's dog came up and licked up the contents of the goblet (then began to seize) that Henry finally realized Stiles was telling the truth. Henry was grateful, Elizabeth was inconsolable, the assassin ran off, and the party was officially over before it had really begun.

"Poor _Elizabeth_." Stiles countered.

Lydia made a face and shrugged. "Eh."

Stiles's eyes widened. "Lydia!"

"What?" She lowered her voice and said, " She's horrible!"

Stiles was about to argue, but sighed. "She's not the greatest. I think she was trying to flirt with me earlier."

Lydia stifled a laugh. "Hey, can you undo my dress?" She turned around and moved her hair over her shoulder.

Stiles felt his cheeks heat up for a moment, then he cleared his throat. "Yeah." His voice came out a little high-pitched. He walked around the bed and over to Lydia. As he worked his fingers over the buttons that went down her back, his eyes stayed focused at the back of her neck. He was doing everything in his power not to think about how much he wanted to kiss that neck. It suddenly became entirely too stuffy in that small room, and he realized he was still wearing his jacket. He needed to take that jacket off right away, otherwise _he_ may be the one passing out. Stiles quickly finished unbuttoning the dress and took a few steps away from Lydia. "Done."

"Thanks." She began to pull the dress off in front of him.

Stiles, who was desperately trying to get his jacket off, noticed. "Oh..."He didn't mean to say it. He definitely didn't mean for it to sound like a moan, but it slipped out, so he covered it up, "...My God. You're wearing a corset."

"Yeah, and it sucks." She told him without looking at him.

"No wonder you almost passed out." He said as he finished getting the jacket off and tried pulling his shirt out his pants, but sweat was causing the shirt to stick to his back, so he started unbuttoning the front.

Lydia let out a frustrated sigh. "Can you help me again?"

Stiles eyes widened and looked up at the ceiling, mouthing curses and waving his arms around.

"Stiles?" Lydia asked, still not looking in his direction.

"Yeah?" He put his hands on his hips.

"Did you hear me?

"Um...yes?" He scratched the back of his head.

She sighed. "If you don't want to do it, I'll just go find-" She turned around now and stopped talking when she saw him with no jacket, his shirt half untucked and halfway open, cheeks flushed, one hand on the back of his neck and the other hand on his hip. Lydia opened and closed her mouth a couple of times. "Um..are _you_ okay?"

Stiles nodded, afraid his voice would give him away.

She sighed and walked over to him, the large dress hanging at her waist.

"Stiles! We went through this, this morning...or afternoon...or whatever it was, when we got here. You stared at my boobs for two minutes straight."

"Yes, and do we remember how that ended?" Lydia smirked and looked down as his waist. "Excuse me!." He started and lifted her chin with two fingers. "My _eyes_ are up here."

"I''m sorry." She laughed lightly, then whined "Now, do I need to go find somebody or do you think you can keep it together for another minute and _please_ help me get this thing off so that I can finally breathe again?"

_"Only if_ you _can help_ me _get_ this _thing off so that_ I _can finally breathe again."_ When he didn't see her react he realized he'd said it in his head, which was probably for the better. He sighed. "Yes." She smiled and turned around and he unlaced her corset.

She went behind the partition to change her clothes and Stiles pulled the backpack out from under the bed and pulled his sweatpants out. They had decided to actually sleep at Henry and Elizabeth's before jumping to the next place on the list. It had been a long day and Stiles was sure that they had only taken a small nap back in Rome.

"Stiles, will you pass me my clothes?"

"Yeah." He dug back through the bag. "Oh, no." He muttered.

"What?"

"Are you _sure_ you put your clothes back in here after you took them off?"

"Are they not there?"

Stiles shook his head then realized she couldn't see that. "No. I took my sweatpants out and now all that's in here is my shirt and your underwear." Then he quietly added, "Thank God there's underwear."

"Okay, well then give me that."

Stiles grabbed the shirt and picked the underwear up with it, then stopped. "Wait, then what am I going to wear?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, if I give you my shirt then what am I going to wear?"

"Why do you need to wear a shirt? God, Stiles are you really _that_ insecure about your body? I saw you without a shirt on today. You looked fine!"

Stiles made a face. "Just fine?"

"Seriously?! You're going to do this now? I'm naked here so unless you want me to sleep in the nude, pass me the damn shirt!"

Stiles looked down at the shirt, debating for a half a moment, before handing her the shirt and underwear. Stiles finished taking his shirt off and then quickly took off his pants and slipped his sweatpants on before Lydia could come out from behind the partition. He crossed his arms over his bare chest, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Stiles looked toward the door and realized that it didn't lock, so he looked around and found a chair then shoved it under the door knob to stop anyone from coming in without being invited. He took a step back to marvel at his work crossing his arms once again.

"Good idea." He heard from behind him.

He turned around and Lydia was standing next to the partition a few feet away from him. The sight of her in his shirt (and nothing but his shirt, really), was a sight he knew he could get used to. "It looks good on you." He told her with a smile.

She smiled then creased her forehead in thought. "You know," she started. "It fits a lot like the shirt I took out of Future Lydia's dresser that I was wearing."

"Maybe that was mine too." He joked, but then saw Lydia face. She brought her arms up and crossed them around her waist, as if she felt vulnerable. "Wait... wait a minute. Do you think it was _mine_ "?

Lydia shrugged. "I...I don't know. Maybe?" She sighed. "Elbie just kept saying things that got me curious."

"Yeah," Stiles thought about the picture he saw and that Elbie removed of him and Lydia kissing. He debated saying something about it, but then Lydia spoke again.

"You know, she kind of reminded me of you a little."

"What?! How? I mean... No offense, but she's black, or at least half black, and I'm...pasty."

"I didn't mean she _looked_ like you. I just meant the way she said things."

Stiles was still confused. "But, she has a British accent."

Lydia groaned. "I mean like her mannerisms when she said those things. God, stop being so defensive. I'm not saying she's your kid-"

"What?"

"I'm just saying she reminded me of you." Lydia registered what Stiles said and added, "And what do you mean 'what'?"

Stiles's mind was moving quickly. Where had that even come from? "I just..." He uncrossed his arms and placed them on his hips. "I never thought that's what you were saying. That thought never crossed my mind..." Lydia bit her lip and Stiles tried to read her expression."But it crossed yours?" Lydia opened her mouth, but her eyes weren't focused on his face but on his chest. "Lydia?" Lydia's eyes went back to Stiles's.

She stared for a moment and then shook her head. "Only for a moment. It was more than just the way she moved. It was the way she looked at you. In awe, with admiration, and a tinge of sadness. Like you were someone she looked up to before...you know. Or maybe someone she heard a lot about but never met."

"You got all that? I didn't even notice."

Lydia shrugged. "I always notice the way that other girls look at you." Stiles raised an eyebrow. Lydia sighed. " Not _just_ at you. At all of my guy friends."

"Jealous much?" He teased.

Lydia shook her head. "Why should I be?" She turned away and walked to the bed. "I see the way you look at _them_."

"And how's that?"

Lydia looked back at him. "Like you don't really see them. Like you have eyes for someone else." She lifted the covers back and climbed into the bed. "I used to think it was because you were with Malia, but then you started looking at her the same way." _How do you think I look at you?_ He wanted to know, but was too afraid to ask. Maybe she wanted him to ask. But what if she couldn't see how he looked at her? She sighed. "We should go to sleep."

"You're right." He said. To himself, he knew he was telling her that she was right about about him liking someone else, but he hoped that Lydia thought he was responding to her latter statement.

She raised her eyebrow for a moment as if trying to decipher what he meant, but instead of asking him, she just let it go. Stiles walked over to the right side of the bed since Lydia had claimed the left, and picked up a pillow, threw it on the floor, then starting grabbing a blanket.

Lydia groaned. "Stiles, what the hell are you doing now?"

"I'm sleeping on the floor."

"The hell you are!" It was Stiles's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Pick up the pillow, put it back, and get in here next to me." She sighed. "I'd feel safer if you were right here."

Stiles smiled, knowing how difficult it was for her to say that. "Okay." He picked up the pillow off the floor and placed it on the bed where it belonged. Then he climbed in next to her. They lay there for a moment before their hands found each other under the covers. It wasn't the first time they held hands, although it was the first time that held hands while laying in a bed next to each other. Stiles thought about it and except for a few of his dreams, he was pretty sure that this was the first time they had laid in a bed together. Another thing he could get used to.

"Fyi." Lydia said, squeezing his hand. "You without a shirt? It's more than fine. It's actually kind of sexy."

Stiles felt his cheeks heat up and he smiled. "Well-" He started to say, but Lydia interrupted him.

"Shhh... it's time to sleep."

" _-Ditto."_ He finished his thought in his head before drifting off to sleep.


	12. Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy, and let me know how you're liking this fic!

_Stiles could feel a tiny finger poking his face, but he kept his eyes closed and tried to not smile._

" _Daddy?" He heard a whisper in his ear. "Wake uuuup." He didn't budge. He felt the tiny form crawl onto his chest and sit down, then two tiny hands on his face, slapping lightly on his cheeks. He felt a finger poke his eyelid and push up to open his eye._

_He smiled and grabbed her quickly. "What are you doing?!" The little girl squealed and Stiles rolled over and began to tickle her, eliciting giggles from the small child. He finally stopped tickling her and the little girl was breathing heavily. "Good morning, Princess."_

" _Good morning, King!"_

_Stiles chuckled. "So, what's new in the kingdom today?"_

_The little girl made a sour face. "It's raining."_

_Stiles listened for a moment as he heard the rain hitting the windows. "Ahh, so it is. Is there anything else I should know?"_

" _Uhhh...nope!"_

" _Really? Because I feel like there was something special today and I just can't remember what it-"_

" _My birthday!" She yelped excitedly and giggled._

_Stiles feigned a gasp. "Your birthday! That's right! Can I get some... birthday kisses?" The little girl puckered her lips and Stiles kissed all over over her face which only elicited more giggles from the tiny child. "Happy birthday, angel."_

" _Thank you. I'm three!" She proudly held up three fingers._

" _I know! You're getting so big!" She smiled. "Do you know what else is today?"_

" _My party!"_

" _And that means you get to see Aunt Malia and Uncle Scott!"_

" _Yay!" Her celebration was cut short by loud clap of thunder. She gasped loudly and covered her ears. Her lower lip stuck out and Stiles knew what was coming._

" _Oh, hey," He said soothingly, "Come here." The little girl cuddled up next to him. "The thunder can't get us in here. You know why?" She shook her head. "Because I'm here, and I won't ever let anything happen to you."_

_She laid her head down on Stiles's chest and he wrapped his arms around her tiny frame._

" _I love you, Daddy."_

_Stiles took a deep breath, savoring this moment like he had done with so many others in her short life._

" _I love you too, Elbie."_

_**05051646** _

_**England** _

_**0956 Hours** _

_**The Worthington Estate** _

Stiles felt himself wake up, but kept his eyes closed, until he became aware that there was an odd pressure on his chest. He looked down and saw Lydia's head on his chest and he felt her hand on his stomach. His arms wrapped around her protectively. How had they ended up in this position? Part of him wanted to move her, but he didn't want to wake her up. Instead, he decided to let the moment last a little longer. He relaxed again and thought about his dream. Lydia put that thought into his head right before they had gone to sleep. That had to have been where the dream came from. But at the same time, it felt real. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Lydia stir and sit up.

Improvising, he yawned and stretched. "Good morning." He said. "Sleep well?" Lydia smiled sleepily, not really answering his question.

"Um..." She started. "Do you think you could go see if my clothes are outside?"

He sighed. "Maybe we should just go back to the future and get more clothes." Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Bad idea?" he asked.

"Well, I wasn't going to _say_ it...but..." He pushed her shoulder lightly and she laughed. He stared for a bit, not wanting the moment to end. Waking up next to her, was something he'd imagined more times that he cared to admit, and it was everything he thought it would be. She was beautiful. "Are you going to go, or not?" She asked.

"Right. Sorry. I'm going." He stood up and looked around, finding the clothes that he was originally given the day before to change into: the baggy beige shirt and brown pants. He got dressed and moved the chair from the door and left. Lydia got up and put the chair back in place, then went back to the bed and laid down again. This time though, it felt entirely too empty. She curled up into a ball as something dark and sad settled in the pit of her stomach. Loneliness?

Without Stiles there anymore, her bad dream was forced back to the surface.

_Lydia was sobbing. She realized suddenly that she had no idea how she ended up here. No, not here as in Deaton's office. She remembered that. She just couldn't remember how she ended up laying on the cold, hard floor. She didn't know how long she had been there either. All she knew was that her throat hurt from sobbing and her head was pounding._

_The bell chimed, signaling the arrival of someone. Was it a patient? Would Deaton have to come in here and forcibly remove her from the ground?_

" _Deaton, where is she?" She heard Stiles panicked voice. A fresh wave of tears flooded over her. She was so happy to know he was there, but the sadness hit her all over again like a ton of bricks._

_She didn't hear Deaton's response. She just heard footsteps. Heavy. Like he was running._

" _Lydia!" He called her name and ran toward her. "Oh my God!" She couldn't tell if it was relief or worry in his voice. Probably a mixture of both. He crouched down on one knee and put a hand on her shoulder. "Deaton wouldn't tell me anything, he just said I needed to get here. He said something was wrong and you know me, I was imagining the worst. And it's not the worst, because you're still alive and whatever it is, we'll get through it." He was rambling and talking so fast she couldn't tell where one sentence ended and the other began. Lydia wanted to laugh. She really did, but she couldn't. "Lyd," He said softly as he stroked her hair out of her face. "Tell me what's going on." She didn't say anything. She didn't know how to start. After a moment or two of silence, Stiles nodded. "Okay, you...you don't have to tell me if you don't wa-"_

" _No." She croaked out. God, even that little syllable made her throat ache. She slowly sat up, but her head felt so heavy that she immediately collapsed against Stiles's chest and dropped his other knee to catch her._

" _Lydia," His voice was shaky. "You're starting to scare me." She looked up at his face. She could see that he had been crying, or trying really hard not to._

" _I'm sorry." She whispered. "For scaring you." She took a deep breath, choking back sobs. "I want to tell you. I...I need to tell you. If.." Sob."If we're going to..." Another sob. Deep, shaky breath. "If we're going to be together, you need to know."_

_He took a deep breath, laid his head against Lydia's, and wrapped his arms around her. "Lyd...can you..." He was having trouble getting the words out."Can you just...Just tell me...are you sick?"_

_Lydia shook her head. "No." Sniff. She felt him release a breath. "Not really." She was quiet for another moment. Stiles readjusted himself, sitting back against one of the cabinets and bringing a knee up on one side and curving his other leg around her as he held her against his chest. "I don't know how to start."_

" _Why did you go to Deaton's?"_

_She looked up at him, then searched for his hand with hers. He grabbed it and held it tight. "Please don't say anything until I finish."_

" _I won't. I promise." He lifted her hand in his and kissed it. Lydia turned away from him, unable to watch his face. Her voice was still shaky and she was still sobbing, but she felt like she didn't have anymore tears left to cry._

_She took a deep breath. "I took a pregnancy test. Two of them actually." She felt Stiles tense up. "Neither were conclusive. That's...That's why I came to Deaton." She took another deep breath. She shook her head. "I'm not though...pregnant." She let out another shaky sob. "'That's great', I thought. I mean, at first I was kind of excited, because I mean...we've been friends for so long and..." Apparently her tear ducts had called for reinforcements because they were coming back full force. "And you'd make a great dad." She sobbed out. She cried for a few moments before taking a deep breath and beginning again. "But then, you know...I thought about it and we've only really been together for a couple of months, so really... now wouldn't be a good time." She sniffed. "But it was something that we could talk about in the future." She nodded her head. "We would have talked about it." She closed her eyes and sniffed again, feeling sobs and tears coming back. "But now, there's...there's no point because...because I can't...I can't..." She turned her head and buried it into Stiles's chest, crying as her body convulsed in sobs. She couldn't force herself to finish the sentence, but she knew that Stiles understood. "I can't." Stiles held her tightly, and she felt his chest rise and fall in short spurts, like he was crying too. "I can't." She wasn't sure how long they were in that position. All she knew is that they had both stopped crying by the time Stiles spoke up._

" _Did he," His voice broke, and he cleared his throat. "Did he say why?"_

_She nodded. "Do you remember when Kira died?" She didn't let him answer. "What am I saying? Of course you do...It was only a few months ago." She took a deep breath. "I was leaning over her, holding her hand when it happened. Her body just erupted in foxfire and I was knocked onto my back."_

" _Yeah, I remember. It took you like two days to come to. Scared the shit out of me."_

_It wasn't funny, but Lydia couldn't hold back the chuckle that bubbled up in her chest. She took another deep breath. "Yeah...well... He said he suspected it then, but it was too early to tell anything and it wasn't like I was in a relationship at that point. He was going to bring me back in the next couple of weeks to follow up and see if I was healing, but I beat him to it." They sat there for a little while longer. She loved laying her head on his chest, and listening to his heartbeat. It was the most comforting sound in the world. "I'm sorry." She finally said._

" _For what?" He asked._

_She sighed. "I know how much you want a family."_

" _Hey, look at me." He lifted her chin and she looked up at him. "What I want... is you. I want to spend the rest of my life waking up next to you and knowing that I'm the luckiest guy in the world. You're my family, Lydia. You always will be."_

_Lydia smiled. "Mr. Stilinski, was that a proposal?"_

_Stiles raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "No, but it sure sounded like one, didn't it?" He laughed again and so did she. "Believe me," He started again. "_ When _I propose, you'll know it."_

" _When?"_

_Stiles smiled and shrugged. "I may or may not have been planning it since the third grade. Luckily for you, it's gone through a few revisions since then. The original idea would have involved a rocket ship to Mars, so..." Lydia laughed. "God, I love your laugh."_

_She smiled. "I love that you can make me laugh even though this has been the worst day of my life."_

" _I love making you laugh."_

_Lydia pulled herself up to kiss his lips. It was soft and sweet. Tender and loving. "I love you." She told him._

" _I love you too."_

_She settled back against his chest again. "For the record," She started. "If it_ were _a proposal..." She felt his heartbeat speed up slightly. "I would've said yes." His heart skipped a beat and smiled against his chest as he held her tighter._

_Slowly, his heartbeat started to sound a lot louder and more real to Lydia._

That's when she realized that she was waking up, and she was laying on his chest and he was holding her just like her dream. Her cheeks were soaked with tears, and she felt like crying some more, but feeling Stiles's arms around her and hearing his heartbeat in her ears were calming enough to keep the tears at bay. Dream Lydia was right. This was the most comforting sound in the world. She didn't think she would ever want to move. She laid there for a long time, just listening to his heartbeat and feeling the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest.

Suddenly, she felt his heart skip a beat and he held his breath for a moment. His heartbeat sped up slightly, then after a moment went back to something closer to normal. She knew he was awake, but he wasn't trying to move them and it felt nice knowing that he was aware that she was there but still held her for one reason or another. She finally realized that they should probably get up (as much as she hated to) and that was when she moved first.

Now here she was, feeling so lonely. So empty.

The door knob jiggled. "Lydia?" He whispered loudly. Lydia bolted up, her heart leaping from her chest at the sound of his voice. She ran to the door and moved the chair and swung the door open. For a brief moment she had to tell herself not to jump into his arms. He was gone maybe 15 minutes, just being alone with her thoughts made it feel like 15 years.

He walked in and closed the door. "I found your pants. They're a little damp, but no luck on your shirt."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to keep yours." She smiled and shrugged.

Stiles looked at her with mock suspicion. "You just don't want me to wear shirts anymore. I see how it is."

Lydia feigned disappointment. "Agh... you got me."

Stiles chuckled and shook his head. "Get your pants on.." He paused. "Words, I never thought I'd say to you." He felt his cheeks heat up as he said it and Lydia bit back a laugh. "And then help me get the backpack together." Lydia took her pants that Stiles was holding out for her and pulled them on.

"Are you going to change?" She asked him.

"Into what? I don't have a shirt."

"Seriously? Are you still on the shirt thing?"

He laughed. "No, it's just...I don't know where we're going and I'd rather be wearing a shirt than not." He looked down at himself. "Even if it's from the 1600s."

Lydia smiled as she gathered the blankets that they had covered themselves with and stuck them in the backpack. She ran her tongue over her teeth and made a face. "So, I'm going to need for there to be toothpaste invented by the time we get to where we're going."

Stiles did a breath check and his eyes widened. "Agreed."

They finished packing the bag and Lydia turned on the device and selected the next destination. Stiles threw the backpack over his shoulder and grabbed onto the device as well.

_**11071888** _

_**London** _

_**1912 Hours** _

_**Whitechapel District** _

"It's raining!" Lydia yelped. She held the device close to her body and looked around for cover.

"Over here." Stiles said and pulled her underneath an awning.

"It's wet and it's cold." Lydia was shivering as Stiles opened the bag so Lydia could put the device away. "Who's on the list?" She asked. Stiles unfolded the piece of paper.

"Uh...Mary Jane Kelly..."

"What?" Lydia asked, eyes widening.

"Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"She was murdered in 1888!"

"Another murder...great." Stiles folded the paper back up.

"No, Stiles... you don't understand. Her killer is one of the most elusive serial killers in history. We still don't know who he is!"

Stiles gave her a sideways glance. "You don't mean..."

Lydia nodded, "Jack the Ripper. We've got to stop Jack the Ripper."


	13. Rain

_**11071888** _

_**London** _

_**1914 Hours** _

_**Whitechapel District** _

"Come again?" Stiles had to have misheard her.

"I'm serious." Lydia was hugging herself as the wind blew, spraying rain onto them even under the awning. "What day is it?"

Stiles widened his eyes and dropped his mouth and scoffed. "Are you _kidding_ me?! Do I _look_ like a freaking calendar?" Lydia began looking around her, on the ground and on the walls. "What-" Stiles sighed. "What are you doing?"

"There has to be something around here that has a date on it. A newspaper or something." Her teeth were chattering as she spoke.

"Why do you need to know the date?"

She whipped her head around to face him. "Because I need to know how much time we have!" It seemed to have started raining harder and Stiles could barely hear her even though she was yelling. He was starting to feel the chill as well and hugged himself too.

"Before what?" He yelled back.

"Before she dies!"

"How would you even know that?"

"Mary's body was discovered on the morning on November 9, 1888. She died some time between 2am and 10am. If today is the 8th, we don't have much time!"

Stiles couldn't think clearly. He was cold and knew they needed dry clothes, and more importantly- clothes that could be worn during this time period. He knew they needed to figure out what day it was, and he also wanted to know what _time_ it was. It felt late, but it could be early. Instead, the thought that made it out was, "Why do you know so much about Jack the Ripper's victims?"

Lydia was still searching. "Because I did a research paper on him back in college."

Stiles nodded once, as if knowing exactly what she was talking about, but then paused and processed what she said. "Wait...what?"

"What?"

"You said 'college'. We're not even _in_ college!"

Lydia sighed. "Remember the box of papers I found at my apartment? Well-"Lydia stopped talking suddenly and looked as if she was thinking about something.

"Well?" Stiles asked, waiting for an explanation.

"The papers!" Lydia said finally.

"Oh my God!" Stiles yelled in frustration. "What are you talking about?!"

"Give me the device!" Lydia held out her hand. Stiles, just stared at it for a moment, then she stretched it out further. "Stiles!"

He groaned and pulled the back pack off again, and fumbled through, finally finding it and handing it over.

"I have no idea what's happening."

Lydia sighed in relief. "This string of numbers here, is the date." She said. "It's November 7th, 1888."

"Does that thing tell time too?"

Lydia shrugged. "It just says the time we jumped to. Which, according to this, was 19:12."

Stiles thought for a moment. "So like 7pm?"

Lydia nodded. "Which means we have over 24 hours to figure something out."

Stiles nodded. "Okay, so I'm going to need you to explain all of _this_ ," He made a circular motion with his hand "To me later, but first we need to find new clothes and a place to regroup."

Lydia nodded in agreement, then added, "And food."

Stiles stomach rumbled as if on cue. The last thing he remembered eating was breakfast what felt like a week ago with Lydia and Elbie, but it hadn't occurred to him that he was hungry until she mentioned it. "Yeah. That too."

Lydia turned around and looked through the window they were standing in front of. "I think this is a clothing shop."

"Well, that's great, but there's just one problem. It's closed."

"Well that's great!" Lydia smiled.

Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling you're _not_ being sarcastic?"

"Because, you forgot our money problem. As in the fact that we don't have any." Stiles sighed. "And if it were open, it would be harder for us to borrow the clothes without asking."

"We're stealing clothes again?" He groaned.

"If you have a better idea, let me know."

"Well, if you'd give me a chance to think-" Lydia reached for the knob and the door opened. "Seriously?" Lydia walked inside and Stiles followed, muttering to himself and taking a look around to be sure no one saw them. "Here I am, trying to protect their livelihood from a crazy banshee and they go and leave the door unlocked."

"Are you still talking?" Lydia turned to face him.

Stiles glared and Lydia smirked. They began looking through racks of clothes for something in their sizes.

"So, can you please explain the past few minutes to me?" Stiles asked, as looked up at the back of Lydia's head.

She sighed. "The box of papers in my closet, remember? The one that had The Bestiary inside? There were research papers in it."

"Yeah, I know. You said there were some about time tra- Oh! So I get where you made leap from papers to device, but Jack the Ripper?"

"Well, I ended up reading _all_ of the papers in there. There was a paper that said it was from Criminology 101, it was about Jack the Ripper, and it went into details about his murders. That's it. Nothing extraordinary." She pulled a dress off the the rack and held it up to her. It looked to be the right length, so she put it back for a moment and began to undress. Stiles continued staring in her direction. After the events of the day before, it didn't even phase him, and she wouldn't be doing it if she didn't _want_ him to look...right? She slipped the dress on and grabbed the clothes she had taken off. Stiles quickly looked back at the rack of clothes in front of him, and she turned around.

"Find anything good?"

Stiles shrugged. "What's 'good'?" Lydia sighed and went over to him and began looking through his rack. He didn't move out of her way, he just stayed right where he was, even though that meant she was practically right on top of him. For some reason, at that moment, he just wanted to be close to her. He absent-mindedly lifted his hand up and touched her hair. Just as he did it, he became aware of what he was doing and Lydia turned to look at him. "You had something in your hair." He lied.

"Oh okay. Did you get it?"

"Mmhmm." He nodded. She turned back to looking and Stiles rolled his eyes, at his stupidity.

"Here." She said, finally, handing him a shirt and pair of pants.

He took them from her and began to get dressed while she continued looking around the shop.

"I found an umbrella." She announced and picked up an umbrella from behind the register. She looked to her left and asked. "What size shoes do you wear?"

"11." He told her. She had found a small selection of shoes, luckily with a pair in Stile's size, and a pair slightly too big for her that she stuffed with a piece of cloth to make them fit. Neither matched their clothes very well, but it was better than nothing. She put her pair on and tossed a pair to Stiles. "Thanks." They put their wet clothes back into the backpack and made sure everything looked fine before leaving the shop.

"What should we do with the backpack?" Lydia asked him.

"Uh," Stiles thought about it and looked at Lydia. "Here." He handed it over. "Stuff it under your dress." Lydia gave him a look and Stiles just smirked. Finally, she sighed and took the backpack, putting it under her dress as he had suggested.

"I look pregnant." She noted.

"Well, we can use that to our advantage. Come on." He lifted the umbrella over them, and put his arm around her as they began walking again. The rain had picked up again, so they were still getting completely soaked, and they were beginning to wish they had grabbed an extra set of clothes to change into once they finally found shelter.

Luckily, they were only walking for about fifteen minutes when they realized there was an inn just ahead with it's lights on. Stiles quickly ushered Lydia inside.

A man that was sitting at the wooden desk looked up from a book. "Good evening."

"Hi, " Stiles started as he shook the umbrella out. "Do you have a room that my..."Stiles looked at Lydia in the light for the first time, " _Very_ pregnant wife and I can have for the night? And maybe some food?"

"We can't pay though. My purse and his wallet were stolen." Stiles widened his eyes at Lydia.

"Seriously?" he muttered. Lydia, elbowed him in the side and Stiles sucked in a breath. "Yes. He had a gun and everything."

"That's terrible! You should phone the police."

"No!" Stiles said quickly, causing the man to raise his eyebrow. "I mean...that's not necessary, because it happened yesterday, in the town over and we already notified the police there." Stiles silently hoped that the man believed him, because that was the worst he'd ever lied in his life. "We're trying to make it to my cousin who lives in...um...honey where was it that Miguel lives again?"

Lydia was smiling, but widened her eyes at Stiles for a moment, silently telling him he took it too far. "He goes to school in Oxford."

"Right!" Stiles nodded and turned back to the gentleman. Luckily, the man nodded, seeming to understand, then reached down and grabbed a key.

"Is this your first?"

"My first what?" Stiles asked. The man motioned to Lydia. "Wife?" Stiles questioned.

" _Baby_." Lydia said quickly. "Our first _baby_. And yes. It is."

"Oh, yes! Our first baby." Stiles patted the backpack. "That's my little boy in there."

Lydia groaned under her breath and gave a fake laugh. " _Honey_ , we've been through this." She started, through gritted teeth. "There's no way to know if it's a boy or girl because there's _no_ invention that can determine that."

Stiles looked up at Lydia and mouthed "Oh." "Right!" he said out loud. "Well, it's just a feeling."

The man smiled and handed the key over. "Well, I remember what it was like when my wife was pregnant. Kids are the best thing that will ever happen to you. You can have the room up the stairs, third door on the left. The kitchen is down that hall." He pointed. "If you could help tidy up the place to pay for your stay-"

"Absolutely!" Lydia said quickly. "Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to us." The man smiled, and stood.

"I'm headed to bed myself. I'm through that door there. Give a knock if you need anything."

"We will." Stiles told him. "Thank you, sir." Stiles led Lydia up the stairs and to the room they were given. He walked inside and covered his face with his hands and Lydia closed the door behind them

"What the _hell_ was _that, Stiles_?!"

Stiles dragged his hands down his face "I don't know." He whined. "Oh my god, I just couldn't stop talking!" He collapsed onto the bed. "Luckily, I think that he just thought I was a doofus."

"Well, you are." Lydia dropped the backpack out from under her dress and began to undress herself again.

"I feel like we should be going to sleep, but then we just woke up." He sighed. "All of this time-jumping is really starting to mess with my head."

"Ugh!" Lydia groaned. "This stupid rain. It's soaked everything we have."

"I think I saw a fireplace downstairs." Stiles told her. "I'll lay the clothes out to dry next to it and get us some food." He looked over to the desk in the room and saw a fountain pen and some parchment. He motioned to it and said, "Maybe you can get started on writing down everything you remember about Mary Jane Kelly."

"Deal."


	14. Bread and Jam

_**11071888** _

_**London** _

_**2005 Hours** _

_**The Inn** _

Stiles grabbed all of the wet clothes, then headed down the stairs and laid them out in front of the fire. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with it, but he took his shirt off and left it to dry by the fire as well. He crossed his arms over his chest, self-conscious that someone would come in and see him, even though he knew nobody else was up.

Stiles wandered down the corridor that the gentleman (whose name he never caught) had pointed out as leading to the kitchen. He sighed as he looked around the kitchen, unsure of what he could eat. The man never told him not to eat anything specific, but he also didn't know what was considered high-priced during this time either. He saw several loaves of bread, and grabbed two and a glass mason jar of some sort of jellied fruit. He found a couple of spoons and a jar of milk in the icebox and brought all of it back upstairs to their room.

When he walked in, Lydia was sitting at the desk with one of the blankets wrapped around her like a towel. She didn't look up right away because she was writing, but when she saw him, she let her eyes linger a moment longer than she should have.

"Did you lose something?" She asked him.

"What?" He asked her. He was too busy laying out the food that he brought back onto the bed to look at her.

"You're shirt's gone."

"Well, yeah. It was wet. And are you really going to talk about me not wearing a shirt? One, I can't count the times you've taken off your shirt in the past 24 hours, and two, I'm still not okay with _not_ wearing a shirt."

Lydia sighed. "You don't have anything to be self-conscious about." She looked back at her papers and continued to write. "I'm going to be honest, you have a nice body."

Stiles felt his cheeks heat up. "Really?" He smiled.

Lydia looked at him out of the corner of her eye and bit her bottom lip. She nodded. "Really."

Stiles looked down at himself, not exactly sure what Lydia was seeing. "Thanks."

"Why are you thanking me? I didn't give it to you."

"Well, no one's ever said anything about it before, so...just...thanks for saying something."

Lydia finally turned around to face him. "Are you telling me that Malia never commented on your body?"

Stiles's scoffed. "Malia's idea of a hot body is one covered in fur and walking around on four legs." Stiles wasn't looking at Lydia when he said it, but if he was, he would have seen her visibly taken aback by his comment. Of course he didn't have to see her reaction to realize how it came across. "Wow, okay...that was a lot harsher than I intended."

"It's fine. Malia's not here, and you guys aren't together. Obviously there's some hostility there."

"It's not that, it's just..." He sighed. "I guess it was just a bad break up." He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Good. Because neither do I." Lydia said as she got up and walked over to the bed to see what Stiles brought back. "Bread and jam?"

"And milk." He added, holding up the glass jar.

"Oh, well the milk changes everything." She said sarcastically with a smile.

"I knew it would."

"God...I don't think I've had bread and jam since I was like...seven?" She said as she broke off a piece of the loaf and dipped it into the the mason jar.

"You know...me neither." Stiles commented as he took a spoon and scooped some out. "My mom used to make it for the two of us while dad was at work. Once her mind started to go, she stopped making it. Eating it after that just wasn't the same. I remember that dad made it once for me after she died, and I wouldn't touch it. I think it made him feel bad."

Lydia was a captive audience. "You know, I haven't heard you talk about your mom this much since...well...ever."

Stiles smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah... well it's kind of an awkward subject. I used to get really upset when people would talk about it right after it happened. It would give me panic attacks. It was like, I knew she was gone, but I tried to not think about it, and when people would bring it up, it was like I would remember and it felt like I was finding out she was dead for the first time all over again. My dad and I eventually went to a family therapist, and I was finally able to accept it. Now, it doesn't bother me to talk about it, but sometimes I can see that it bothers other people."

"Well, for the record, it doesn't bother me. I kind of like hearing stories about your mom, since I never got to meet her. I mean, she's part of what makes you...well, you."

Stiles nodded and smiled. "Well, I'll keep that in mind." He took a breath and changed the subject. "So, what do we know about Jack and Mary?"

Lydia got up and grabbed her papers and laid them out as she spoke. "Mary Jane Kelly was last seen around 2 in the morning on the 9th. Her body was found around 10 a.m. in her apartment. It was completely mutilated. Her carotid artery had been severed and the body had obviously been moved."

"Most of his victims were prostitutes, right?"

Lydia nodded. "Yes, and yes, she _was_ a prostitute, but there seems to be some conflicting statements about whether she was _working_ that night. One of her friends says she would never return to that lifestyle, but one witness says that she basically invited who they think was her killer back to her apartment after asking said witness for money. That was around two. The witness apparently watched Mary's place until the clock chimed at 3, then left. Around 4 a few people heard a shout of 'Murder!' but it wasn't uncommon so they ignored it, but according to autopsy reports and other witness statements, it seems like that's when it happened. There were only two other statements that don't corroborate that theory. One says they saw her around 8:30 in the morning and the other one says they saw her around 10, although her body was discovered at 10:45, so that one seems unlikely. 8:30 is still possible though... just not probable."

Stiles nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay. We can do this... I mean... we've faced werewolves, kanimas, chimeras," he cleared his throat and added, "Evil fox spirits. This guy is just a human. We can take him."

Lydia bit her lip. "Are you sure about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you sure he's human?" Stiles opened his mouth but he didn't know what to say. "I mean, the bodies were _mutilated_. Her face was unrecognizable, her abdomen was cut open, and her organs were removed." Lydia looked back at the papers on the bed, and so did Stiles. "I know that humans can do crazy things, but part of what made me write about him was because he seemed like something...more."

Stiles creased his forehead and looked up at Lydia. "Did you put that in your paper too?"

Lydia looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"That fact that you thought he was supernatural. Did you put it in your paper?"

Lydia's eyes widened as she thought back to the paper. "No. I would never-"

"Then how do you know that's why you wrote about him?"

"I-I don't know. It's just... It's just a feeling." Lydia watched as Stiles quickly stood up, his breathing becoming more and more rapid. "Stiles? Are you okay?" She'd seen him react like this once before. "Are you having a panic attack?"

He turned away from her and a memory flashed in his mind. _"I read somewhere that holding your breath can stop a panic attack. So when I kissed you...you held your breath."_ He took a deep breath and held it for a moment. He let it out slowly, and felt his breathing begin to return to normal.

"Something feels wrong." Stiles said and finally turned back to Lydia. "We weren't supposed to go forward in the timeline."

"What do you mean?"

"When we were transported to the future...to Elbie...we went somewhere that hadn't happened yet, we jumped ahead in the sequence-"

"I never intended for anyone to see their future- and before you ask, I know that from the papers I read."

"No, I know...that's my point. I think we're remembering things that haven't happened yet."


	15. Fire

_**11071888** _

_**London** _

_**2024 Hours** _

_**The Inn** _

"I think we're remembering things that haven't happened yet."

Lydia thought about what he was suggesting for a moment then looked back at him. "We?"

"What?"

"You said _we_." Stiles didn't say anything, but Lydia seemed to understand something. "What made you realize we weren't supposed to go to the future?"

Stiles closed his eyes as a memory pricked the back of his mind. "It was something you said. I don't remember much, I just hear your voice saying _Going to the future could be catastrophic. Time travel should only be used to go to the past and purely for research purposes._ Obviously, you changed your mind about the research thing."

Lydia shook her head. "I don't remember that."

"So are you saying it didn't happen?"

Lydia shook her head. "No. It's just...why aren't we remembering the same things?"

Stiles shook his head. "I don't know. That's the only thing I've remembered. Well...that and I had _deja vu_ when you said that you wrote about him because you thought he was something more. That's where the panic attack came from."

"Do you think it's going to get worse? We're not even halfway done with the list."

"God, I hope not. I mean, this is the first time we've remembered anything."

Lydia nodded, but then thought for a moment. "Well..."

"Well? Well what?"

"It's probably nothing."

"What is it? Just tell me."

"I had this dream last night. I mean... it was a just a dream, but... it felt real."

Stiles thought about his dream as well. "No, you're right. It was just a dream."

Lydia looked at him. "Stiles, are you okay? You're sweating like crazy."

He shook his head. "No. Something feels wrong." He said again, then looked down at his shaky hands and began counting.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"Making sure I'm not dreaming right now."

Lydia grabbed his hands in hers. "Stiles?"

"I don't know what's happening." He told her as he looked up to meet her eyes. "You're the banshee. Not me."

"What are you talking about?"

Stiles took a deep, shaky breath. "I have a bad feeling that if we don't get out of here, you're going to die." Lydia dropped his hands and took a step back. "I know, it sounds crazy-"

"Stiles, you're talking to someone who hears voices in her head on the daily. _Crazy_ is the last thing it sounds like."

Stiles sighed. "I just can't explain it."

Lydia was quiet for a moment as she thought about what Stiles was saying. Stiles was looking down when Lydia finally said, "We need to save her."

His head popped up immediately. "What?"

"We're here because we need to fix everything. If Mary Kelly still dies, then so do you."

"But if we save her, you're the one that dies!"

"To be fair, it's just a feeling you have. I've had plenty of premonitions where you die and none of those have come true."

"But I took it seriously each and every time!" Stiles turned away from her and ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. "Before we left San Francisco," He started as he turned around. "You were crying to me, _begging_ me to promise you nothing bad would happen. I told you the best I could do was promise you I would do everything in my power to keep you safe. Why won't you let me do that?!" His voice broke.

When Lydia didn't respond, he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him and making her jump.

Lydia stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. A chill began to settle and the loneliness she felt that morning began to seep in again. He was coming back. He had to come back.

So why did it feel like he wasn't? Why did it feel like she had screwed everything up?

She didn't realize she was crying until she felt a sob escape her chest. She sat down on the bed, fighting the urge to curl into a ball.

He had a right to be mad. Lydia understood that. If what Stiles felt was true, then they couldn't save Mary without Lydia dying, and they couldn't save Lydia without killing the entire pack all over again...or was it for the first time? All the time travel stuff was starting to get confusing. Lydia sat for about five minutes and Stiles still wasn't back. That was when she finally gave in and laid down on the bed, pulling her legs into her chest and sobbing into her knees.

She didn't know why she was so upset. She and Stiles had disagreed before. Maybe it was because none of their previous fights had ever left her feeling this empty.

Lydia didn't know how long she cried for, but it got to a point where she felt like she would stop breathing if Stiles was gone for a moment longer. _Maybe this is how I die?_ She thought for a moment. _Maybe this is what his feeling was about._ She got up and pulled herself together and left the room, walking down the stairs. She found Stiles sitting in front of the fire. He was wearing his shirt again- the shirt she had been wearing since she'd lost hers. He was sitting on a coffee table with his elbows on his knees and his hands folded under his chin

His eyes met hers for a moment, and she felt a little warmer, of course maybe that was the fire. Stiles didn't look at her for long, maybe half a second, before averting back to the orange glow.

Lydia could tell he had been crying, which made her feel less strange about crying herself. She opened and closed her mouth several times as she tried to decide what to say. Something witty? Something funny? Something true?

"I was worried when you didn't come back." Lydia said, deciding on the latter.

"I needed to think." He told her, continuing to stare at the crackling fire.

"Can I sit next to you?" She asked before she could stop herself. It sounded desperate to her, and she really hoped it didn't come across that way to Stiles.

He didn't look up or say anything, but he scooted over to give her room. She quickly got to him and sat down before he could change his mind. Lydia took a deep breath and sighed to herself. She was halfway there, but this loneliness in the pit of her stomach was still there and she knew it wouldn't go away until Stiles stopped giving her the cold shoulder.

They sat there for some time, neither one of them looking at the other or saying anything. Suddenly, Lydia felt a hand on hers. She looked down at her left hand that was in her lap, and saw Stiles's hand lacing their fingers together. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was still looking straight ahead, but that didn't matter. She felt like crying again, tears of happiness this time, because the loneliness was gone. He was still upset though, and Lydia knew it. She needed to say something, but the right thing to say and the truth were two different things.

She decided to ease into it. "Both of us are willing to sacrifice ourselves for the other, and that seems to be the issue."

Stiles began to stroke her hand with his thumb. "We've had this conversation before. I would lose my mind if something happened to you, especially if it was something I could have prevented."

"I can't imagine my life without you either." She told him and bit her lip.

Stiles sucked in a breath as he turned to face her. He looked at her face, then down to their hands. Lydia had moved her other hand on top of his.

"So then what do you suggest we do?" He asked. Lydia looked up at him and they stared at each other for a few minutes. Her heart was beating quickly and loudly. She wouldn't have been surprised if Stiles could hear it. She still wasn't sure what to say, so she looked away and he did too. After a few more moments of silence, Stiles spoke again, "You die screaming." A chill ran down her spine, and Lydia instinctively gripped Stiles's hand harder. "And I'm not even there. I can see myself running in after it happens and saying something about how I never should have agreed to your idea about using yourself as bait."

Lydia whipped her head toward him. "How did you-"

Stiles widened his eyes. "Are you serious? That was your plan?"

Lydia shrugged, "Well, I mean, we're different heights, different ages, different hair color, but if I could convince him to take me instead, then-"

"No. Absolutely not."

Lydia pursed her lips and turned away. "I'm not going anywhere until she's safe."

Stiles looked back at the fire. "Then, I guess we're going to have to find some other way."


	16. A Punishment Worse Than Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know if you guys are are actually liking this story. I really love hearing what you think!

_Stiles stood in the middle of an unfamiliar room. He could only see the back of a man leaning over someone. Everything around him was old-fashioned, and it all felt hazy. The only thing that felt real was the sharp pain in his stomach. He looked down and touched the blood that was pooling around his shirt. He could still feel the dagger inside of him, but it was invisible here. His breathing was shallow and he felt tears forming in his eyes. Not from the pain, but from the realization that his life was over. He didn't want to go. He wasn't ready. There was so much left to be done, so much left to see, important people he would be leaving behind. Suddenly, he heard a scream. Stiles turned to where the man had just been standing. He was crumpled on the floor and a girl was laying on a bed._

_Lydia?" Stiles muttered. The scream was loud, but he wasn't affected by it. It was like he wasn't even there, like he was watching from a distance. The girl looked like Lydia, but she was so young._

_And she wasn't moving._

_Blood was soaking the white sheets, but he couldn't tell where it was coming from. The door swung open and he saw himself running into the room._

" _Lydia!" He screamed. This version of him was young too. His face paled as he took in the sight in front of him. "No!" He ran over to the bed and lifted her up to hold her in his arms. From this angle, Stiles could see that Lydia's eyes were wide open. He heard his younger self sobbing. "No no no no...This can't be happening. What do I do, Lydia? I don't know what to do." Stiles looked on with a pained expression. "God, I knew using yourself as bait was a stupid idea. I never should have agreed to it, but you're just so goddamned stubborn!"_

" _Stiles!" He heard her scream, but Lydia hadn't moved and his younger self was still sobbing as he held her body. He suddenly felt the dagger release him and the room around him began to fade away._

**_**11081888** _ **

**_**England** _ **

**_**2311 Hours** _ **

**_**Across from Mary Kelly's Place** _ **

"Stiles!"

Stiles opened his eyes. He was breathing heavily. His head was leaning back against the building he and Lydia were sitting in front of that faced Mary's. He turned his head to his right to see Lydia staring at him with a concerned expression on her face.

"Stiles?" She asked cautiously.

Stiles blinked and sat up. "Yeah. What's going on? Is something happening?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. I've been calling your name for like five minutes."

"I was having a dream." He rubbed his eyes and tried to shrug it off.

Lydia shook her head. "It didn't sound like a dream."

Stiles paled. "What __did__ it sound like?" What had he said?

Lydia looked down. "You were yelling my name...People were staring." Stiles's eyes widened for a moment. "It sounded like you were scared...or sad." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, thankful that he had not had _another_ type of dream.

"Yeah... I guess it was more like a nightmare."

It was obvious to Lydia that Stiles didn't want to talk about it, so she stayed quiet. Stiles laid his head back against the building again, and Lydia sighed and turned away from him. She was bored and had been for most of the day.

After they talked by the fire they began to clean up around the inn, like they had promised. They didn't say much to each other, and when they did, they kept to things like "Excuse me" or "You wash, I'll dry." Both were afraid that somehow they would get into another argument. They ended up changing back into their time-appropriate clothes, grabbed the bag and left before anybody woke up.

Lydia was forced to wear the bag under her dress again, and made a comment about wanting to steal a bag from this time period.

"Having an old bag in the future isn't as weird had having a future bag in the past."

"Be honest." Stiles told her, in their first real conversation since the fire. "You just don't want to look like you're pregnant."

"I feel fat!" Lydia whined.

Stiles raised an eyebrow, "But you're not; and it's not even like you're really pregnant, and it's just one of those things where I'm just saying that to make you feel better. You legitimately are __not__ fat. Like...in any sense of the word."

"Well, thanks."

Stiles and Lydia looked around a general store and even found some toothpaste (that Lydia quietly pocketed while Stiles distracted the cashier).

"I'm a horrible person." Stiles said as they left. "Aiding and abetting. It's a crime as much as actually stealing something."

"Get over it, Stiles. You have to face it... this is the only way we can get the things we need."

Stiles sighed. "Okay..." He paused for a moment. "Alright, I don't want to start another fight, but it's after noon. We really need to decide what we're going to do."

Lydia studied his face. "You have an idea... I can tell...so just say it."

Stiles took a deep breath. "Okay, so my idea is that we go to the police, somehow convince them that you're psychic-"

"Me? Why me?"

Stiles gave her a look. "Really? Are you serious?"

Lydia sighed. "Fine...then what?"

"Well...then that's it. We tell them there is going to be a murder tonight, then we can leave."

"But what if they don't believe us? I'm not leaving here without knowing that she's safe."

Stiles sighed. "Fine. We'll stake out her place and if things start to go sideways and the police don't show up, then __I__ will go in."

"Bu-"

"End of discussion."

So that's what they did. Lydia convinced Stiles to wait outside the police station, while she went in to talk to them. Stiles was pretty sure he was waiting for over half an hour, before Lydia came back outside.

"So, how'd it go?" He asked as Lydia began quickly walking away and he struggled to keep up.

"I hate you so much."

"Why? Did they believe you?"

"Well, they believe I'm absolutely __out of my mind__ , if that's what you mean. They were about 10 seconds away from throwing me in the 19th century London version of Eichen House...which come to think of it, is probably a lot like _modern day_ Eichen House. Trepanation and all."

Stiles looked as if he was about to protest, then thought better of it. "No, you're probably right."

Lydia shrugged. "Of course I am."

The rest of the day dragged on. They walked around, visited clothing shops-and avoided the one their current clothes came from- and looked around other general stores. They continued making light conversation, avoiding any topics that had to deal with time travel or their mission in any way. Basically, they were left to their own thoughts for the entire day.

They walked around until it started getting dark, and that's when they decided to head back to Mary's to stake it out. Stiles realized that they had been up for almost 24 hours. He suggested that they take turns sleeping, and offered to take first watch.

Lydia slept for almost two hours, and thankfully didn't have any unsettling dreams, or any dreams that she could remember for that matter.

Then it was Lydia's turn to keep watch. Stiles seemed like he was afraid to sleep, probably thinking that Lydia would take it upon herself to to lure out Jack the Ripper. Even though she wouldn't...well...at least not now. She didn't know what to think, but if Stiles was having some sort of premonition, and he was _this_ riled up about it, Lydia didn't think he would ever forgive her if she went against his wishes. Even if she did make it out alive, he would be pissed, and based on the tiny taste she had today, having Stiles pissed at her was a punishment worse than death.

So here they were now, facing Mary's building, looking like two homeless teenagers, and Stiles still wasn't talking to her and he was probably going back to sleep.

"What time is it?" He asked suddenly.

Lydia turned quickly toward him. "Umm..." She started, completely thrown off guard by him actually making conversation with her. "The last time I heard the clock it was 11."

Stiles nodded. "So we still have a few hours before Jack shows up."

Lydia nodded. "Yeah." There was silence again before Stiles let out a chuckle. "What's so funny?" Lydia asked him.

"It's just that, for the first time, I'm realizing I don't have my phone."

"You know," Lydia laughed. "I don't have mine either. I think I left mine in my purse, and that's in your car."

"I'm not sure what happened to mine. I had it in the woods, and I was going to call Scott. I guess I dropped it in the process of trying to get you to stop touching the glowing tree stump."

Lydia smiled and looked down. "Ugh, Stiles, I can't take it anymore!"

Stiles's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

"I don't like you being mad at me."

He sighed. "Lydia, I'm not mad at you."

"You're not?" She asked, almost child-like.

Stiles shook his head. "No...well, not anymore." He took a deep breath. "It's just...the thought of you getting hurt..." He stopped, then started again. "You and I have been through so much together... I'm the one that saves you-and I'm not saying that because I think that I'm the only one that's ever saved your life, I just mean that _I_ don't let bad things to happen to you. Like, when your foot almost got taken off by that coyote trap, or when Peter attacked you on the lacrosse field-"

"Wait..."She said quickly. Stiles stopped talking, and Lydia looked as if she was thinking about something. "You _were_ there that night, weren't you?"

"Uh..."Stiles rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah...we never talked about that, did we?"

Lydia shook her head. "No, but I remember you calling my name. I turned to look at you and then Peter bit me." Lydia wrinkled her forehead. "But, if you were there, then why did Jackson-"

"Peter wanted to know where Derek was. The only way he would spare your life, would be if I helped him find Derek and called Jackson to come take you to the hospital."

Lydia nodded as she processed what he told her. "Well, thank you."

Stiles smiled. "You're welcome." Then he sighed. "It's just... my point is-"

"I understand." Lydia interrupted.

"You do?" He asked with a hint of surprise.

Lydia nodded. "I do. And I'm sorry. You promised to keep me safe... You always keep me safe. Sometimes I take that for granted." Lydia took a deep breath as she tried to voice what she was thinking. "When I'm with you, I feel invincible, because I know you would never let anything happen to me. I know you'll always try to do what's best for me and my safety. I'll try not to doubt you again."

Stiles was staring, mouth agape. Finally he blinked and cleared his throat. "Wow... I uh...I wasn't expecting that. Um...apology accepted.. I guess." He said with a confused shrug.

Stiles looked as if he was thinking hard about something. Lydia chuckled. "Just, so you know. There's nothing you need to apologize for."

"Are you sure?" He asked quickly, confirming Lydia's suspicions. "I mean...you're not doing that thing where you apologize for something, so that I'll apologize for something, and when I don't remember what I did wrong, we're in another argument?"

Lydia shook her head with a smile. "I'm sure. The only thing you did was care about me getting hurt. And there's nothing wrong with that."

Stiles smiled warmly and wrapped his arm around her. Lydia laid her head on his shoulder. They stopped talking again, but this time, it was a comfortable silence.

Neither one of them realized when they had both fallen asleep again.


	17. Prostitutes Clean Too

_**11091888** _

_**England** _

**_0358 Hours_ **

**_Across from Mary Kelly's Place_ **

The scream is what jolted them both awake. Stiles first thought it was Lydia and quickly looked to his right. She was still there. Lydia met his eyes and the two of them looked back toward Mary's building as they stood up.

Stiles made a quick scan, not seeing any officers around.

"They didn't show up." Stiles seemed disappointed.

"Stiles!" Lydia got his attention and he turned to face her. "Go. You have to save her."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Stay here," He told her and added desperately, "Please."

Lydia nodded, and Stiles took off running across the street. He ran inside the building and found Mary's door, slamming into a couple of times before practically falling through. In front of him, a man was holding a woman by the neck. His other hand was raised, ready to strike. They both turned to look at him. The man, who Stiles could only assume was Jack the Ripper, was so distracted by Stiles that he let Mary go for a moment.

Stiles looked to his right and saw a broom stick. He grabbed it and looked back at the two people in front of him. "Run!" Stiles told the girl, and she quickly took off. That was when Stiles saw the man's eyes flash an electric blue, and noticed claws on the ends of his hands. "Shit." He muttered.

Lydia had covered the backpack up with one of the blankets they had and she was still standing in the same spot across the street. She chewed on her thumbnail nervously waiting for someone to appear. Suddenly, she saw a woman running out of the building.

Lydia ran to her. "Are you Mary?" The woman seemed slightly confused, but nodded. "What happened?"

"This man...teeth...claws...his eyes."

"What color were his eyes?"

"Blue. Bright blue."

Lydia felt her stomach drop. "How did you get out?"

"A man came in, and _it_ let me go. He told me to run."

"Stiles." Lydia muttered. He was facing a werewolf alone. She suddenly didn't care if he was going to be mad at her. She'd rather have him alive and mad at her than not have him at all. Lydia couldn't stop her feet as she raced inside the building. She made her way to Mary's door and saw it was half open. She pushed it and stepped through. There was a lump on the ground and Lydia felt her heart in her throat.

She covered her mouth and took a few steps toward the body, then heard, "Lydia?"

Lydia whipped her head toward the direction her name came from and saw Stiles standing there out of breath.

She let out a huge breath and along with it came tears she didn't realize she was holding back. She ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck. He stumbled back a few steps, but regained his balance and wrapped his arms around her too. "Hey," he said soothingly and began to rub her back. "It's okay. We're all okay." She held him a little longer, knowing no matter when she let him go, it would be too soon.

"Mary described him, and I got so scared."

"I'm fine."

"How?" She asked, pulling away to look at his face, but keeping her hands on his shoulders. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two small jars. "Wolfsbane and mountain ash?"

"It weakened him enough so that I could hit him over the head with that kerosene lamp." He pointed to the broken lamp on the ground that Lydia hadn't even noticed. "Of course, that was after I made him mad by hitting him with the broom." He nodded his head toward a stack of splinters that Lydia never would have believed use to be a broom.

"When did you get it?" she asked.

"It was just next to door. Prostitutes clean too, Lydia."

Lydia sighed and let out a breathy laugh. "I meant the jars."

"Oh... there was an apothecary across from the police station. You had a feeling he was something more, and I learned never to doubt your feelings. So..I may have borrowed a few things without asking."

Lydia chuckled, "Seriously? Right in front of the police?"

"Yeah... I haven't always been known to make smart life decisions."

"Well, it was the best decision you made all day." She hugged him again, and smiled as she buried her face into his chest.

A few moments passed and they heard footsteps coming from the hall, and quickly pulled away from each other. Stiles grabbed her hand and went to the door just as someone pushed it open again. It was a detective.

He was holding a gun and looked from the guy on the ground to Stiles and Lydia and back.

"Uh..."Stiles started looking back and forth from the detective to Jack. Finally he pointed to the lump on the ground. "He's the bad guy. The woman who lives here was screaming. I came in, and he was attacking her and I fought him off." The detective again looked back and forth between the two guys. "He's not dead." Stiles clarified. "Just passed out." Stiles held out the two jars. "You may need these when he comes around. This one," He said, pointing to the mountain ash, "You'll want to put that around his cell. Trust me."

"And if you don't trust him," Lydia started. "Trust me. I'm psychic."

The detective laughed. " _You're_ psychic?"

Lydia bit back a smile and looked at Stiles who was not hiding his as he looked at her with pride. "She's something."

Lydia smiled fully at Stiles, then turned back to the detective. "I'm something. Talk to the Cooper guy who was running the desk today. I told him this afternoon that Jack the Ripper would strike again tonight and he didn't believe me. Who was right?"

The detective's mouth dropped open and Stiles and Lydia took that as their cue to leave. As they came out of the building, Mary ran up to Stiles and hugged him. "Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll never be able to repay you."

"It's no problem...just uh...sorry about your broom... and your lamp. It got a little messy in there." Stiles told her.

Mary nodded, then hugged Lydia as well. "Thank you both."

"You're welcome." Lydia told her.

When she let her go, Stiles turned to Lydia. "Alright, time to get the hell out of here." They went back across the street, and Lydia grabbed the backpack. Stiles grabbed the blanket and began to fold it as he followed Lydia around the corner to an empty alley. She grabbed the device out of the bag, and Stiles put the blanket back where it came from. He threw the backpack over his shoulder as Lydia readied the device and they both grabbed on.

**_04111912_ **

**_Queenstown_ **

**_1331 Hours_ **

**_Cargo Hold_ **

Once they landed, Stiles still felt like he was moving.

He opened his eyes and looked around. "I think we're on a boat." He told Lydia. Lydia nodded, agreeing with him and looked around as well. They were in the luggage room.

She walked toward a piece of luggage and read the tag aloud. "Eleventh of April, nineteen hundred and twelve."

"This isn't just _any_ boat. Is it?" Stiles asked with a sigh.

Lydia scanned the room some more, eyes landing on a symbol that signified this as part of The White Star Line.

"No, it's not." Lydia told him, grimly. "It's the 'Ship of Dreams'. 'Unsinkable'."

Stiles took a breath. "The _Titanic_."


	18. You're Swimming in My Ocean Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to mention a disclaimer...Mary Kelly was a real victim of Jack the Ripper. Jack the Ripper was a real person (Although his name most likely wasn't Jack). Jack the Ripper was _probably_ not a werewolf. Obviously, I took some creative license and mixed it with fact.
> 
> These next few chapters will mention names of passengers and crew members that were in fact on board the Titanic. I've read a few of their stories online, and will try to incorporate what I can. But, fair warning: if this were a movie it would be like NPH in Harold & Kumar. (Where the credits are "Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris" instead of "himself" because he is nothing like his character.)

_**04111912** _

_**The Titanic** _

_**1333 Hours** _

**_Cargo Room_ **

Stiles looked at the device that was still in his hands while he took off the backpack. "Okay, so according to this, it's April, 11th." Lydia nodded and Stiles put the device back in the bag. "The ship sinks on the morning of the 15th, right?"

"Right." Lydia tells him. "But at like 2 a.m."

"It was 2:20 actually." Stiles said as he searched through the bag to find the list, and missed Lydia's shocked expression. "So, that give us three days to-" He pulled the list out and looked back up at Lydia. "What?"

"No, no." She said with a smirk. "You keep on, Mr.. It-was-actually-2:20." Lydia said as she took the list from him.

"What? You wrote a research paper on Jack the Ripper; I wrote one on the _Titanic,_ " Lydia chuckled and Stiles sighed. "In 8th grade," he added quickly and continued before Lydia could laugh anymore. "Anyway, as I was saying... We have about three days to find the person we're supposed to save, and this is a large ship."

"People." Lydia said without looking up.

"What about them?" Stiles asked.

"No, you said _person_ , but it's _people_." Lydia lifted the list and pointed to the coordinates they were at. "There are two names on the list for this location."

"Oh...Well, what are the names?"

Lydia looked back at the list "Uhh...Gilbert Danbom and Lo-" Lydia stopped as she read and comprehended the name.

"Lydia?" Stiles asked with a confused expression.

"Um..sorry." Lydia said then cleared her throat. "Uh...Gilbert Danbom and... Loraine Allison."

Stiles widened his eyes for a moment. "Oh..."

"Yeah...it caught me off guard. My grandmother and my best friend in one name." Lydia shook her head softly. "I'm okay." Stiles nodded and the two of them got quiet. Finally, Lydia broke the silence. "So, do you remember anything about these people from your research paper?"

Stiles sighed. "It was the _8_ _th_ _grade_. A lot has happened since then." Lydia just cocked her head and put her hands on her hips. "But..." He continued with a sigh, "Allison... that name sounds familiar... I mean...other than the obvious reasons...I just don't remember why." Stiles cleared his throat after a moment, and started a new conversation. "Okay, so we need to find out who these people are, figure out how to save their lives, and blend in. Not necessarily in that order."

"Well, we're still dressed like 1888. I say we get into some turn-of-the century clothes."

"Good idea." Stiles said, then closed his eyes.

"Uh... What are you doing?"

He sighed and opened his eyes. "As part of the research paper, I built a scale model of the ship."

Lydia creased her forehead. "We never had to do anything like that."

"I know."

"Then...why did you do it?"

Stiles shrugged. "I was bored." He closed his eyes again.

Lydia thought about that. "Huh..."She said thoughtfully, then shook her head quickly as she realized he never answered her first question."Wait, I still don't understand what you're doing."

Stiles opened his eyes again. "I'm trying to remember where everything is." He looked around the room again. "Judging by the car," he pointed to the vehicle in the middle of the room. "We're in the Cargo or Motor Car room, which means we're on the Orlop deck. First class baggage is on G Deck which is," Stiles pointed up. "Above us."

"Wow."

"Hey, Jack the Ripper was your territory. You're swimming in _my_ ocean now." Lydia made a face as she thought about what he said. Stiles noticed the look. "Too soon?"

Lydia held her thumb and pointer finger about an inch apart. "Just a little."

"I'll keep that in mind. Come on, there should be a way up over here." They looked for crew members as they opened the door. When they saw no one, Stiles led Lydia out and up the stairs to G Deck.

Once, they got inside the luggage room, Stiles quickly busied himself looking through the tagged luggage. Lydia found a floor length dress with thin fabric and short sleeves. It was a light pink color, so light it nearly looked white. She found a purple ribbon and tied it around her waist as a belt, then searched until she found a clip to hold her hair back. Stiles found a sweater and a pair of pants, then found a hat to wear as well. They both found shoes and stashed the backpack, before leaving.

"Where to now?" Lydia asked him.

"Let's explore." He led her out and up several flights of stairs, before realizing they had stumbled onto the 3rd class common area of D Deck.

"Why did you stop?"

"I want to see something, I'm just trying to figure out how to get there." After a moment, he led her off down a hall, and Lydia followed. "So," Stiles began, "Part of these three days is figuring out this ship, so that we can easily know where we need to go and how to get there. Time will definitely be of the essence once we..." He stopped talking and looked around at the few people that were around them. "...you know...hit."

Lydia nodded. "Alright, so how do we find out who these people are?"

"There has to be a passenger list around here somewhere, or we could just start asking people."

"That's a thought, but finding the list would probably make it easier."

"Oh, finding the list would _definitely_ make things easier. I'm just not sure how _easy_ finding the list will be."

"Well, where do you think..." Lydia trailed off as they both realized they had just walked into the grand ballroom and were now standing at the foot of the iconic staircase. "Oh my God." Lydia said breathlessly. Stiles seemed to be in awe, because he didn't say a word. He stared at the stairs in front of him with his mouth slightly open. "This is incredible."

"Yeah," Stiles finally spoke. "It's a shame how fast it all goes away."

Lydia nodded, then looked down and bit her lip. "Um...so...I know we have a mission here, but...I think I would hate myself if I didn't reenact that _one scene_ from the movie."

Stiles widened his eyes. "Uh...what scene are you talking about?"

Lydia looked at him curiously before her cheeks turned red. " _Not_ the car scene!"

"No, right. Of course... I knew that." Stiles rubbed the back of his neck.

"I meant the one on the bow of the ship..." Lydia sounded embarrassed as she said it.

Stiles smiled. "I totally agree with you."

"Really?" Lydia asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Absolutely." He held his hand out, "Let's go fly."

Lydia couldn't stop the childish giggle that escaped as she grabbed onto his hand and they made their way to the upper deck.


	19. There's No Way

_**04111912** _

**_The Titanic_ **

_**1627 Hours** _

_**Bow of the Ship** _

"Well, now that that's out of the way," Stiles began as they walked away from the bow after spending over half an hour pretending to fly and declaring themselves 'King (and Queen) of the World,' "We should probably figure out how we're going to find these passengers."

"How do we know they're passengers?" Lydia asked him. "What if they're crew members?"

"Well," Stiles said as he tilted his head in thought. "We would need to figure that out too."

"Shouldn't there be like...a manifest or something around that has a list of all the passengers?"

"Yes, Lydia!"He said forcefully, then sighed, and (almost shyly) added, "I was... I was getting to that."

Lydia bit her lip to stop herself from giggling. "Sorry."

He took a deep breath and continued. "As I was going to say... there's a list of passengers around here somewhere, but it's not going to be just out in the open. I say we wait until dinnertime and then we go looking for it. That way we'll be less likely to get caught."

"Good idea." Lydia told him.

_**04111912** _

_**The Titanic** _

_**2019 Hours** _

**_Hospital-Infectious Wing_ **

"This was a terrible idea!" Stiles yelled as he kicked the door for the third time.

Lydia sighed from her seated position on one of the two beds in the room. "Stiles, can you please just sit down? You're making me nervous."

" _I'm_ making you nervous?" He lowered his voice so he wouldn't be heard by the attendant outside of the room, but Lydia could still hear the frustration behind his words. "We're basically stuck in _Titanic_ jail! They're not planning on letting us out of here anytime soon, and the device is still in the luggage room!"

"Well, that's a good thing, because if it had been with us, it probably wouldn't have been with us anymore."

Stiles sighed and plopped onto the other bed. "The one good thing is that we know where to find them."

"Yeah... in two completely different classes."

"I still say we should alert them about the iceberg sooner. We could save the entire ship."

"Stiles-" Lydia started sadly.

Stiles interrupted her. "I know... the balance. If we stop this accident, another one will happen in it's place."

Lydia sighed, then stood up and moved over to Stiles and sat next to him. Stiles grabbed her hand and she didn't think twice about it. It was beginning to feel natural. They had ultimately found the manifest in the Captain's Quarters. Unfortunately, one of the officers on the ship was coming to retrieve something out of the room and the teens were unable to hide fast enough. Stiles struggled with the officer at first, but then he caught a glimpse of Lydia. She was shaking her head slightly, and Stiles realized that struggling would only make things worse. They were brought down to D Deck where the Hospital wing was located, and they were locked in the infectious section.

The door suddenly opened up and a man walked in, then shut the door behind him. He had a full white beard and spoke with an English accent.

"Hello." The man said. They both stood. "I'm Captain Smith."

"Shit." Stiles mumbled. Lydia pursed her lips to keep from smiling at the comment.

The Captain acted as if he didn't hear the remark and continued. "I heard you found your way into my room." They both opened their mouths to speak, but they were interrupted. "I don't want to hear excuses. I just want you to know, that I hope you found what you were looking for, because the two of you aren't leaving this room until it reaches the next port."

"Wh-wh-what if-," Stiles stammered, about to ask what would happen if the ship was sinking. He began to rethink what he was going to say, then took a breath, "What if someone is actually sick and needs this room?"

"Then I would pray to God you're immune." The Captain opened the door and slammed it shut.

Stiles huffed as he collapsed back onto the bed. "We're going to die." He said matter-of-factly.

"No, we're not." Lydia said confidently as she sat back down as well, facing toward him and touching his shoulder.

Stiles shook his head. "No, they're not letting us out. They're going to forget about us. The ship is going to hit the iceberg, everybody is going to panic, they aren't going to think about the two stowaways in the infirmary. We're going to drown." He didn't think about what he was saying until after he said it out loud. Realization hit suddenly. "Oh, God." He said, his breathing becoming quicker.

"Stiles..." Lydia started, trying to pull him back from where she knew this was heading.

"We're going to drown." He said, ignoring Lydia. "We...we're...we're going..." He began tugging at his collar as he tried to catch his breath.

"Stiles!" Lydia said loud and forcefully.

"I...I can't...breathe." The room was starting to feel entirely too small and cramped.

"Stiles, listen to me." Lydia said as she moved in front of him and put her hands on either side of his face. "Deep breaths." She told him and he tried to comply. "We're going to make it out of here," She began, soothingly. "Even if I have to banshee-scream this door off it's hinges. We're going save some lives, and then we're going to get the hell off this boat. I'm not going to let you drown. I would _never_ let you drown."

Stiles's was staring into Lydia's eyes as he slowly got his breathing under control. He reached up to grab each of her wrists in his hands and lowered them away from his face, but kept eye contact with her, realizing how close the two of them were. He finally opened his mouth to speak after several moments of silence, "You've let me drown before." He said with a tilt of the head, "You actually held me under."

Lydia saw the humor in his eyes and she smiled. "Yeah...but I pulled you back, didn't I? I mean...that was the deal, right? Someone to hold you under and pull you back?"

"Someone with a strong connection-"

"An emotional tether." Lydia finished.

Stiles reached his hand up and tucked her hair behind her ear; then he let his thumb caress her cheek while his fingers wrapped around the back of her neck. He pulled her head toward him and rested his forehead against hers.

Lydia closed her eyes, unable to keep them open when she was this close to him. She realized now, she wasn't quite sure when this happened-this feeling she was getting. It felt like something she'd had for awhile, but she was finally recognizing it. Did she, Lydia Martin, have a _crush_? On _Stiles Stilinski_? The hyperactive spaz that until two years ago, she had barely said two words to? The sarcastic kid that knew her better than anyone else? Her best friend?

"Thank you." She heard him say.

"For what?" She asked, the words coming out a little more breathless than she'd hoped.

"For always pulling me back."

Lydia forced herself to open her eyes, her heart beating wildly. Stiles's eyes were closed, and she couldn't help but note how beautiful he looked. She reached her hand up and covered his.

"You do the same for me." She told him. His eyes opened and met hers and she swore her heart skipped a beat. They were so close, and there was nowhere for her to look. His eyes made her lose her breath, his lips made her heart beat like crazy, and his nose just made her feel stupid. He used to like her, she remembered, maybe he still felt the same way. _There's no way._ She told herself. He would have gotten over her by now. She'd missed her chance. It suddenly felt like she had been punched in the gut, and it made her want to cry.

Lydia closed her eyes, dropped her hand, and pulled away from him. She stood and opened her eyes again, giving a half-hearted smile then sat down on the opposite bed once more.

Stiles wasn't sure what had just happened. For a moment, he swore she was going to kiss him. He was even debating if he should do it himself. He probably looked like an idiot right then, with his mouth hanging open in confusion. He certainly felt like an idiot, actually believing for a moment that Lydia Martin would want to be anything more than 'just friends'.

Honestly, he was fine with that. He had made peace with that fact long ago. Was there still a part of him that was holding out hope that one day she would feel the same way? Absolutely. Would he be completely crushed if it never happened? Absolutely. He didn't think his feelings for her would ever go away. Sure, he acted different around her now, but it wasn't because he liked her any less. When they first started hanging out, he just had a huge crush on her. They'd never had a real conversation before. Now, she was his best friend (after Scott of course), and that crush had grown into genuine love.

He was truly, deeply in love with her. Because of that, he just wanted to see her happy. Yes, he wanted to be the one that made her happy, but as long as he had some sort of relationship with her, he could live with that.

He tried returning her smile, but it just felt sad to him. He sighed and laid down on the bed. They should probably have a talk about the way they felt. Maybe that would clear things up, because if he had to bet money on it, he would say that Lydia had some sort of feelings for him. She _had_ to feel _something_. It might not be _love_ , but he didn't think you looked at someone the way she was just looking at him without feeling something. He wouldn't be the one to start the conversation though. On the off chance he was wrong, he didn't think their relationship would be same, and that would kill him.


	20. Sorry I Took So Long

_Lydia could hear a steady beeping. It felt like something was in her arm, there was a dull pain in her head, and her hand felt sweaty. Was someone holding it? As the neurons in her brain slowly began to fire, the first thing she was able to do was squeeze the hand holding hers._

_She heard a small gasp and felt the person jump. "Lydia?" It was Stiles. Of course it was Stiles. If it wasn't, she would have been disappointed._

_After several moments, she was able to force her eyes open. The room was dark, but she clearly recognized it as Beacon Hills Memorial. The only light was coming from the windows, but the blinds and curtains were closed, so it wasn't a lot._

" _God," She croaked out. "I hate hospitals."_

_She heard Stiles give a sigh of relief, and she finally turned to face him. She could tell he had been crying, but she wasn't sure why. He lifted her hand and kissed it._

" _God, Lydia, I was so scared." She noticed that his red eyes were beginning to water and heard his breaths become shaky._

" _Hey," she said softly. "I'm okay."_

_She heard him sniffle. "It's just, I ...If I would have lost you, I...I would've..." He trailed off._

" _Gone out of your freaking mind?" She offered._

_He gave a small laugh. "Yeah." He sniffed. "Yeah, I would." She smiled softly and looked around the room. There were a few scattered flowers, and it was a sad reminder of how many of their friends were gone. "Do you remember what happened?" Stiles asked._

_Lydia closed her eyes and remembered holding Kira's hand while the kitsune was laying on the ground in front of her. She could feel time running out and Scott was on the other side of the warehouse._

**"** **_Lydia, you have to go." Kira croaked out._ **

**"** _**I'm not leaving you." Lydia told her as tears dripped from her chin.** _

**"** **_Lydia!" Stiles called, and she could hear him running toward them._ **

**"** **_Stiles, stay back!" The banshee yelled, and she heard his footsteps stop._ **

**"** **_Kira?" He whispered, but in the warehouse, it echoed._ **

**"** _**Where's Scott?" Lydia asked.** _

**"** _**I-I-I don't know. I...I can't find him."** _

**_Slowly, the light in Kira's eyes went out. Lydia let out a scream just as Kira's entire body erupted in foxfire, and Lydia flew backwards. It was like a bomb going off._ **

_She opened her eyes again. "Kira's dead." She looked at Stiles, who confirmed with a sad nod. "How's Scott?"_

" _Not good." Stiles told her. "He's blaming himself for not being there. Liam feels terrible because Scott was with him. Malia's upset because Scott wouldn't let her come in the first place. We're falling apart...again."_

_Lydia nodded sadly. "How long have you been here?"_

" _Just as long as you have. Two days."_

" _You haven't gone home in that time?"_

" _I wanted to be here when you woke up. I didn't want you to be alone."_

_Lydia smiled sadly. "Thank you." Her mom had died a few months prior and she had basically lived with Stiles since then, not wanting to go home and feeling so much better when she was around him._

_Stiles nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand. "I should let someone know that you're awake. I'll be right back."_

* * *

_Lydia held Stiles's hand as they stood at Kira's graveside. Scott, stood on the other side of Stiles looking awful. He was wrecked, obviously. Stiles told her a few days ago that Scott was about to propose and never got the chance. The ceremony was short and small. Isaac, Derek and Braeden all came back for the funeral and had decided that they were going to stick around Beacon Hills for awhile. The pack needed as many members as possible since the only people left were Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Liam, and Malia. Lydia still remembered when it was just the five of them and Kira, but they'd gained so many members and lost them all since then, that five just didn't seem like enough._

_After the funeral, the group of them were waiting by their cars deciding on what to do next. Scott was still lingering by Kira's grave._

" _I'll go talk to him." Lydia said, and walked away from the group and toward the alpha. "Hey."_

" _Hey." He said not really making eye contact with the banshee. Lydia realized suddenly that she hadn't really had a conversation with Scott since she'd woken up several days ago._

" _I know this is a stupid question, but how are you doing?"_

" _I'm a mess." He told her. "I've been in love twice, and both of them have died. Maybe I don't deserve to be happy."_

" _Don't say that!" Lydia was shocked that he would even think that. There was silence for a moment between the two._

" _You're right," He told her finally. "I was lucky enough to be in love twice. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything." He made eye contact with her for the first time. "Take it from me. Life is too short. You would rather have those moments of being together than wonder 'what if'. Don't waste time."_

" _I feel like you're speaking in code." Lydia said with a confused look. "What are you talking about?"_

_Scott rolled his eyes, then motioned them toward the group of friends standing around. Lydia turned to look in their direction, and everyone but Stiles and Braeden made brief eye contact, and tilted their heads slightly toward Stiles._

" _Werewolf hearing." Scott said. "We can all hear your heartbeats when you're near each other, and you can_ smell _the sexual tension."_

_Lydia furrowed her brow in curiosity, "Are you being literal or figurative about the sexual tension?"_

_Scott raised his eyebrows. "Does it matter?" Lydia sighed. "Look," Scott began again. "Stiles has been in love with you for longer than I can remember. And I know that over time, you've started to feel the same way."_

_Lydia's eyes widened, feeling like she'd been caught in a lie. "Does he-"_

_Scott shook his head. "He has no clue. Believe me. If he knew how you felt, for how long you've felt it, you two would probably be married by now." Lydia looked back to glance at Stiles again, but saw all the wolves nodding slightly. She wasn't sure if they were nodding at what Scott said, or something that was said in the conversation they were having, but either way it was a little creepy. "Look, just do yourselves a favor and say something. Or..._ do _something. Just, stop dancing around your feelings because if, God forbid, something happens to either one of you, you'll never forgive yourselves if you didn't take that chance."_

* * *

" _So," Stiles said as they walked inside his apartment. "That was nice. Having the old pack back. Well...parts of it at least." Lydia was walking in front of him and headed to the bedroom. She wanted to get changed out of her funeral clothes as soon as possible. Black was not her color._

" _Yeah, it was." She said as she opened the bedroom door and heard Stiles on her heels._

" _Hey, what did you and Scott talk about?"_

_Lydia sucked in a breath, just inside the doorway, and turned to look at him. "Why?"_

" _Whoa...you look terrified. No reason, I was just curious. You guys talked for awhile."_

" _Oh..."she said and turned back around. She walked over to the dresser and faced the mirror so she could take her jewelry off. "Nothing, he was just telling me that he was glad to have the time with Kira that he did." Lydia had removed her earrings and began fumbling with the clasp on the back of her necklace. "He said he would rather have those memories, than not." Lydia's hands were shaking and she was struggling with the necklace still. Stiles came up behind her and began to gently unclasp it._

" _'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." He took the necklace off of her and held it out._

" _Tennyson." She said as she opened her palm and Stiles dropped the chain into her hand and she grasped it into a fist. She stared at his face in the mirror, and she could see him making eye contact with her as well._

" _Did he...tell you that for any particular reason?" He inched forward a little more. Lydia sat the necklace down on the dresser and spun around to face him. They were so close, Lydia's head was tilted all the way back so she could look into Stiles's eyes._

" _Well, there's this guy." She began, her heart speeding up. This was happening. She was going to tell him, and then everything would change, she hoped, for the better. "And he's like...my best friend..." Stiles's mouth dropped slightly, in confusion and shock. Lydia looked down to gain some courage, then looked back up at him. "And I like him a lot." She immediately shook her head. "No, that...that's a lie." Disappointment passed over his face. "I'm in love with him." Her voice broke as tears sprang to her eyes. The disappointment went away and it was back to shock and confusion. "I don't know when it happened. I mean... I guess there's always been this connection between us. I watched him with other girls and he watched me with other guys and neither one of us said anything, but we always found our way back to each other." Lydia looked down and took a deep breath. A tear slipped down her cheek, and Stiles's hand came up to her face and wiped the tear with his thumb. She grabbed his hand and held it against her cheek and leaned into it. "_ You _are my constant, Stiles." She looked back him, his face still showing signs of confusion and shock, but now with a bit of happiness that he was clearly trying to keep hidden in fear this turned out to be some sort of cruel joke or hallucination. She let his hand go and it fell to her shoulder, and his fingertips brushed all the way down her arm, until their hands connected once more and she held onto it. "I am absolutely, positively, 100%, madly in love with you...I just...I hope I'm not too late."_

_Stiles hands grabbed onto her waist, and a small gasp escaped her. He lifted her up and sat her on top of the dresser, so that they were now eye level with each other. He kept his hands on her waist as he stepped between her legs. "Do you, have any idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that?" He reached one hand up and tucked her hair behind her ear, and his hand rested on the back of her neck._

_Lydia smirked. "Sorry I took so long."_

_Stiles smiled and pulled her head toward him and crashed his lips into hers. Years of pent up of emotion and passion went into that kiss. And it was good._

**_04141912_ **

**_The Titanic_ **

_**2329 Hours** _

**_Hospital-Infectious Wing_ **

Lydia opened her eyes. She hadn't been asleep-just thinking. These dreams she had been having were freaking her out. Maybe they were her brain's way of making up for the fact that Stiles and her would never happen. Especially, not after that almost-kiss that made being trapped in this room alone with him feel very awkward. She sat up on the bed and saw Stiles sitting on the other one.

There was no clock in here, and they had tried to keep track of days and hours the best they could. The attendant had been nice enough to sneak them food for every meal, so Lydia knew it was after dinner on the 14th. It felt late and she was mentally preparing for the plan she and Stiles had been coming up with the past several days.

"Are you ready?" Stiles asked her.

Lydia nodded. "Yeah, I'm just nervous. What if something goes wrong?"

"Hey! None of that." He said, standing up and taking a seat next to her. "Panicking is _my_ job, remember?" Lydia laughed lightly and nodded again. Stiles reached for her hand and she quickly let him take it.

"There are just so many things that could go wrong."

Stiles groaned. "Don't remind me." Lydia's heart was pounding and she wasn't sure if it was because of these new-found feelings she had for her best friend, or if it was because of the impending doom awaiting them. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pulled her closer to him. They sat for several minutes before finally feeling a strange vibration. Things in the room began to rattle and Lydia gripped his hand harder. "Show time." Stiles muttered and Lydia screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as I've mentioned before, this fic has been written for some time, and the other day I was re-reading this chapter and saw the line in the second paragraph "Of course it was Stiles" and I thought about the line in the script page that was released "Of course it's Lydia" and thought: How perfect was that!   
> There were a couple of other Stydia references. The first one, about going "out of your freaking mind" was a purposeful callback, but the second one about "there's always been this connection between us" was unintentional, and I didn't realize it was a reference until after I had typed it.


	21. She Means the World to Me

_**04141912** _

**_The Titanic_ **

**_2340 Hours_ **

**_Hospital-Infectious Wing_ **

It wasn't a banshee scream. It was just what they had planned. Stiles quickly laid back on the bed as if he'd passed out, and Lydia stood up and looked down at him.

"Help! I need help!" She yelled. The attendant rushed in and Lydia breathed a sigh of relief. The first part of their plan had worked. "Please!" She begged the attendant as she simultaneously backed toward the door. "He just collapsed." The attendant rushed toward Stiles, and Lydia ran out of the room. They had both already removed their shoes to make running the ship easier.

Lydia had to make her way down three floors to G Deck. The boat was going to start filling up with water and they would soon begin closing the doors to try to do damage control. Lydia and Stiles realized that finding the device would need to be their first mission. If they couldn't jump to the next time, then this was all pointless.

Lydia had been tasked with going after the bag, with the promise that Stiles would meet up with her after he got past the attendant, which they both realized would probably include knocking her out one way or another. That was the only reason the two of them agreed to separate. Stiles didn't want Lydia to be witness to him killing the attendant. Well, he wasn't wasn't physically going to do the killing, but he would be incapacitating her long enough that she wouldn't be able to get on a lifeboat.

Lydia was trying desperately to remember where Stiles told her to go. Their mealtimes hadn't featured eating, so much as food art of the deck plans. She suddenly became aware that she was rounding the same corner she had just passed. Lydia stopped and reevaluated where she was. She realized she needed to go back the other way, and quickly turned on her heels and right into a body.

She would have fallen had the person not grabbed her arms.

" _Shit._ " She thought.

"Are you lost already?" Lydia looked up and breathed a sigh of relief as Stiles stared back at her.

"Oh, thank God. It's you!"

Stiles smirked. "Yeah." Then his face turned serious. "Come on. We've only got two hours and thirty minutes left before the ship sinks. Well..." He shrugged. "Give or take a few. G deck is this way." He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall. Lydia was trying to commit the route to memory, but they were moving so fast that she wasn't able to.

They finally made it to the luggage room and found the bag. Stiles threw it on his back and the two of them were walking back out. Suddenly a large group of people was running past them. Lydia was nearly trampled, but Stiles pulled her back, wrapping his strong arms around her to keep her safe.

"Alright," Stiles said once the group was out of earshot. "We've got the backpack and the device." Stiles thought about what they had read on the manifest before they were caught. They knew the cabin number for Loraine, but they hadn't seen that information for Gilbert. "Gilbert Danbom is in third class, so he should be on this deck or the one right above us." Lydia nodded and went to take a step and gasped.

"Holy shit, that's cold!"

Stiles turned slowly to look at Lydia, and she began to realize what this meant. They looked down at their feet and saw water pooling from underneath.

"Come on," Stiles said as he grabbed her hand once again. "We have to hurry." They began to roam the halls, trying to find the Danbom's cabin. A few people had already been woken up and were passing Stiles and Lydia on their ways to the next deck.

As they passed a room, they both heard a groan. The two teens looked at each other and silently decided they would stop to inspect the sound.

They walked into the cabin and saw it in disarray. A dresser was knocked over and there was broken glass everywhere. "Is someone in here?" Lydia asked. Another groan. It came from behind the knocked-over dresser. Stiles walked over, careful not to step on the glass, and saw a woman.

'My son." She said, weakly. That's when Stiles saw the baby in her arms. He was able to take the child, but noticed he wasn't breathing.

"What's his name?" Lydia asked, sadly.

"Gilbert. Gilbert Danbom."

Stiles and Lydia exchanged panicked looks. "Give him to me." Lydia demanded and Stiles practically tossed the baby over. Lydia knelt down and laid the infant on his back in front of her. She began CPR, using two fingers for chest compressions and soft, gentle breaths. Stiles turned his attention back to the mother and knelt down next to her.

"What happened?"

"A man." She began. "I don't remember much...What about my husband?" The woman looked behind Stiles and he followed her gaze, noticing the lump on the bed for the first time. He stood up and walked over. The man had a gash on his head and Stiles held two fingers to his carotid artery. No pulse.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry." As soon as the words left his mouth, a cry came from where Lydia was sitting.

She closed her eyes and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her eyes opened and met Stiles's with a soft smile. "He's okay."

"Do you hear that?" Stiles grinned and turned back to the woman. "He's-" The woman was staring up at the ceiling, and Stiles could no longer see her chest rising and falling. He didn't need to check her pulse to know that she was gone. Stiles looked back at Lydia and shook his head.

She took a deep breath and picked up the baby, and cradled him close to her chest. Stiles walked over and helped pull her up off the floor.

"Well, we found one." Stiles said.

Lydia looked down at the baby in her arms that had begun to drift off to sleep. "He's so tiny."

"How did you know how to do infant CPR anyway...and don't tell me you read it somewhere."

"It was offered as extra credit in freshman year."

Stiles scoffed. "As if you needed extra credit."

Lydia shrugged. "It was an excuse not to be at home. Away from all the yelling." Stiles wanted to say something, but Lydia quickly brought him back to reality. "We're running out of time. Let's go."

Lydia started to walk away, but Stiles had a thought. "Wait!" Lydia stopped and Stiles rummaged through a few items before holding up a couple of blankets and walking back over to Lydia. "Here, let's wrap him in this. It's a cold night, and it'll be several hours before the boats are found." The two of them wrapped the infant in the blankets, each stealing a glance at the other while they weren't looking. "Alright," Stiles said once the baby was thoroughly wrapped. "Now we can go."

Stiles put a protective arm around Lydia and led her back up until they reached C Deck. The Allisons' were between C-22 and 26. Stiles wove Lydia through the crowd of people. It was a mad house on this deck. He could hear people informing others that some of the lifeboats had already been dropped into the water. A man came running through the crowd and Stiles maneuvered Lydia to the side, so that he would hit Stiles and not Lydia and the baby.

For a moment, as they made contact with each other, things began to move slowly and Stiles looked back at the man, but he had already disappeared.

"Are you okay?" Lydia asked him.

"Yeah... I just...I felt like I knew him."

"How is that possible?"

Stiles shook his head. "I have no idea." He sighed and kept moving her forward. "Their cabin should be up here." As they got closer to the cabin, Stiles could see a family of three in front of it. A father, a mother, and in the father's arms was a little girl.

"Have you seen Trevor or Alice?" The mother asked a nearby passenger. They shook their head.

"Hi," Lydia said as she approached the family, "I heard you were looking for someone?"

"My son and his nurse."

"Oh, no." Stiles mumbled next to Lydia. Lydia gave a questioning look to Stiles, and he turned back to the Allison family. "Give us just a moment." He pulled Lydia to the side the best he could without getting into the way of everybody else.

"What was that 'oh no' about?"

"Remember when I said that the name 'Loraine Allison' sounded familiar?" Lydia nodded. "Well, she was the only child in first _or_ second class to die. Hearing those other names brought it all back to me. Alice is watching Trevor when the boat hits the iceberg. She takes the baby, gets on a lifeboat, and the rest of the family has no idea where they are. They vow to stay on the ship until the family is reunited, which obviously doesn't happen."

"So, we're going to have to take a child away from her parents?" Stiles just looked down and didn't say anything. Lydia pinched the bridge of her nose and the baby in her arms began to cry. "Tell me about, Gilbert." Lydia started bouncing the infant to calm him down and took a deep breath. "Okay, so how do you suggest we get her out of her father's arms without drawing attention to ourselves? If someone thinks we're kidnapping a three year-old-"

"Two... Loraine was two."

Lydia huffed. "Two year-old, then they're just going to throw us overboard, whether its clear we're trying to save her life or not."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Stiles rolled his eyes, but then had an idea. "Okay, I know that we're not supposed to save too many people, but what if we can convince them to get on the lifeboat too?"

Lydia sighed. "I mean... if that's the only way we're saving Loraine's life, then let's go for it."

They went back over to the Allison's and overheard Mrs. Allison asking about Trevor and Alice again.

"Bess, I told you to stop asking people. That man said he would be back with them."

"Man?" Stiles asked.

"Yes, a young man came over and told us he saw them and he said he would bring them back."

"I don't care." Bess told her husband. "I'm still asking around. What if he didn't see them? What if it was somebody else? I've never seen that man before, so how would he know who Alice and Trevor are?"

"Actually," Stiles began, "I've seen you all together before., and I swear I saw Alice take Trevor to the Boat Deck,"

"Do you hear that, Hudson!" Bess yelled to her husband. "She's got him! We need to go!"

"No!" Hudson yelled. "We are waiting for the man to come back."

"He's not coming back." Lydia told him. Gilbert had stopped crying but Lydia was still bouncing him and holding him to her chest. "If it's the same person I'm thinking it is," Lydia began, making something up, "He's been doing everything to get people to stay on the boat. He's crazy!" Lydia reached her free hand toward Mrs. Allison. "Bess, please. Come with us. Save your daughter."

Mrs. Allison, reached her hand toward the banshee, but Mr. Allison used his free hand to push Lydia backwards.

It all happened very fast, but Stiles saw that Lydia had regained her balance right before he took a swing at Mr. Allison. "You son of a bitch!" Mrs. Allison grabbed Loraine when her husband loosened his grip on the little girl.

"Stiles!" Lydia yelled as Hudson Allison swung back. Stiles ducked and pushed the man to the ground. He punched Hudson twice in the face before Lydia screamed his name again. "Stiles!"

He stopped, breathing heavily as he looked down at Loraine's father. Stiles stood up quickly and Lydia walked over to him and examined his knuckles with her free hand. "Are you okay?" She asked him.

He nodded. "Are you?"

"I'm fine."

Hudson groaned on the floor as he held his face. Mrs. Allison, turned to Stiles. "As crazy as this may sound, thank you. He had no right to touch your wife."

"Oh, we-" Lydia started, but Stiles grabbed her hand and she stopped talking.

"Thank you." Stiles told her, and before he could process what he was saying, he added, "She means the world to me."

Lydia's mouth dropped open and she let out a strange breath that got caught in her throat. She hoped so much was happening around them that Stiles didn't hear it. Maybe she had been wrong. She thought that Stiles had moved past the whole crush thing a long time ago, but maybe that wasn't the case. Maybe her dreams were trying to tell her something: that Stiles was in love with her just like she was in love with him.

"Wait, what?" She mumbled to herself. Stiles didn't hear it, or if he did he ignored it, which she was thankful for, because, Jesus! She'd just decided that she had a crush on him like three days ago, and now she was in love with him? She decided to take a break from her internal struggle and tune back into the conversation, when she saw Mrs. Allison handing her daughter over to Stiles.

"Please, get my daughter to safety."

"What about you?" Stiles asked as he took the little girl into his arms.

"I have to stay with my husband until Trevor is back.'

"But, I told you that-"

Bess nodded. "I know." She sighed and Stiles saw tears in her eyes. "I love my daughter enough to give her a life, but I love my husband enough that I won't leave his side."

"I'm sorry." Stiles told her.

"I'm not." She smiled and knelt down next to her husband. "Go."

The little girl, wrapped her arms around Stiles's neck and laid her head on his shoulder. He grabbed Lydia's free hand with his own and led her upstairs to the boat deck.

Large clumps of people were gathered on each side where they were waiting to be loaded onto a lifeboat.

"Do you know what lifeboat Alice got on with Trevor?" Lydia asked.

Stiles turned to her as if she'd lost her mind, "No, Lydia! Why the hell would I know that?"

"Well, I don't know.. you knew who the Allison's were."

"Yeah, because she was the _only_ child in two classes to die! She was famous. The nurse? Not so much."

Lydia sighed. "Don't be snippy."

Stiles shook his head and looked away to scan the crowd. He didn't know what Alice looked like. He wasn't sure what he was trying to accomplish.

"Wait..." He heard Lydia's voice. "No...Stiles!" He turned back to where Lydia had been standing and she was being pushed toward a lifeboat.

"Lydia!" He called and tried to catch up with her.

"Stiles!"

"Lydia!" He ran up to one of the men that was pulling her toward the boat. "Let her go!" The man did as he was told and Lydia grabbed onto Stiles with her free arm and buried her face into his shoulder.

"Loraine?" They heard. Stiles and Lydia turned toward a woman that was sitting in the lifeboat the men were trying to put Lydia inside of.

"Are you Alice?" Lydia asked.

"Yes." The woman nodded.

"Her mother wanted us to bring her to you." Stiles told the nurse as he passed the child over to her.

"Do you mind taking this one too?" Lydia asked. "He's only a few months old. His parents are dead."

"What's his name?" Alice asked as she reached for the infant.

"Gilbert Danbom." Lydia told her and she handed him over.

"I'll look for his family when we are all safe." Alice smiled.

"Thank you." Lydia wrapped her arms around Stiles and rested her head on his chest.

"We did it." Stiles said with a sigh.

Lydia hugged him tighter and he returned it. They stood there for several minutes neither one of them wanting to move. Both of them were so tired they could have fallen asleep standing up.

"We should go." Lydia finally suggested as she pulled away. Stiles nodded in agreement and the two of them began to walk away.

"You two!" They heard a familiar voice and turned to see Captain Smith standing with the attendant that Stiles had knocked out earlier.

They both said the first word that came to their minds. "Shit."


	22. Risk-Taking Behavior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I tend to use French in some of my stories. I guess it's because it's the foreign language I took in high school and college. I do the best I can from memory, but I still run it through a translator, especially for words I don't know or can't remember. I did use French in this chapter and I ran it through a translator forwards and backwards so hopefully these sentences are grammatically correct. If you speak French fluently and notice errors, feel free to correct me, because google translate may not be 100% reliable. I'll put the translations (or at least the intended statement) at the bottom in a second Author's Note.

_**04151912** _

_**The Titanic** _

**_0145 hours_ **

_**Boat Deck** _

"Isn't that the attendant you were _supposed_ to knock out?" Lydia asked.

"I _did_ knock her out. But, I didn't want to hurt her either...I guess I just didn't use enough force." Stiles replied. Captain Smith and the attendant were making their way toward the two teens. "We should probably run."

Lydia nodded and Stiles grabbed her hand as they took off. He led her to the staircase and down to A Deck. When they got to the bottom of the staircase, A Deck was already beginning to flood. Water was slapping at their shins and quickly rising.

"Oh...my God." Lydia shuddered at the sudden, intense chill.

"Let's do this." Stiles said and pulled the bag off of his back.

"Get back here!" They heard from behind them. They turned to see the Captain at the top of the staircase and still coming after them.

"Go!" Stiles yelled to Lydia and they began running again, but this time, Stiles didn't have a chance to put the bag back on, so he carried it in front of him.

"Why is he still chasing us?" Lydia asked frantically, as the two of them tried to run in the water. Their feet felt so heavy as they tried to lift them up, and their legs were getting soaked from the splash of slamming them down again.

"I don't know." Stiles wheezed. They were weaving in and out of hallways trying to shake the Captain off their trail, but he was keeping up with them. It would be incredibly difficult to get the device out and ready it for a jump while they were running, but if they stopped, he would easily catch up with them. If they didn't get out of there fast enough, he could be transported with them, or he could take the device and do God knows what with it. Stiles knew they didn't have much time left before the ship broke in half and sank to the bottom.

Lydia suddenly realized there was a large opening coming up on the ground. Probably from some sort of hatch. She tried to stop herself, but the sudden halt cause her to slide right into the opening.

Stiles saw it happening and dove for her hand. He grabbed on, the bag however flew past Lydia and landed in the water below. Lydia shared a look with Stiles, knowing that at least one of them would have to go in after the bag. She looked around as she dangled there. It looked like a very small space, possibly for some kind of storage or some sort of bunker. Her feet were skimming the surface of the water, but she was just out of reach of the bag that was floating about a foot to her left. She wasn't sure how deep the water went, but she could see Captain Smith coming up on them. She made a split second decision and gave Stiles's arm a tug, sending them both into the opening and splashing into the freezing water- which to Lydia's surprise, was actually really deep. Her feet never even touched the bottom before she came back up and gasped for breath. She saw Captain Smith lean over, and seemingly decide their fates had been sealed before walking away.

Stiles suddenly emerged from the water. "Fuck, it's cold"! He gasped. Suddenly, they realized that the lid to the hatch above them was closing.

"Ap-p-p-parently, the c-cap-p-tain was w-worried about us g-getting out of h-here." Lydia's teeth chattered as she spoke. Her arms felt heavy as she tried to keep afloat.

Stiles reached for the bag and pulled the device out. He was shivering so hard, he quickly lost his grip on it.

"Sh-sh-it." Stiles swore as the device disappeared below the surface. "P-please t-t-tell me it-t-t's wat-t-t-er proof-f-f."

Lydia shrugged. Stiles took as deep of a breath as he could and dove down. Lydia was getting light-headed, but kept reminding herself to stay focused. She noticed that she was getting closer to the top, and she could almost touch the hatch door. That meant the water was rising, but she had no idea from where.

"Stiles!" She tried to yell, but it came out as a choked whisper. After what felt like forever, he resurfaced with the device in his hand. He was so cold. His movements were very slow and weak and he was struggling to push the buttons. His eyes were getting heavy. They kept closing, and he was continually trying to force them open.

Lydia tried to say something again, but she was too weak to attempt it. His lips had a bluish tint to them and Lydia imagined she didn't look much better. She could see he was getting frustrated as the buttons didn't seem to be responding to his touch. She had read once that moderate to severe hypothermia can cause confused thinking that can lead to risk-taking behavior.

That was her only excuse for what happened next.

As she watched his struggle, her only thought was that maybe if he warmed up he could hit the buttons. But how would he get warm? Body heat. If she were in complete control of her thoughts she would have realized how stupid that sounded. But alas, she was not. Lydia moved closer to him, so close that his hand that was holding the device was now behind her back. He stopped and gave Lydia a curious look. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he grabbed her waist with his free hand. He was already leaning toward her when she pulled his head forward, her lips meeting his in a confused shock. It seemed that neither of them knew why they were doing it, almost as if they were possessed. Stiles grabbed her tighter and with a new-found energy pushed her against the wall. Her back hit the device and she heard it start whirring and come to life with light. He pulled away, and moved his hand out from behind her to look at the device. Lydia was brought back to semi-reality, almost forgetting the kiss that had just happened between them, as if it was a dream. She was still holding onto Stiles as she reached for the bag floating behind him and he hit the button that transported them in a flash.

**_03091915_ **

**_Artois, France_ **

**_1926 Hours_ **

**_Near the German Line_ **

Lydia's eyes fluttered open. She was wrapped in blankets and she felt a whole lot warmer than she remembered feeling last.

" _Elle est réveillée! Ma fille, vous sentez-vous en bonne santé_?"

"Uhh..." Lydia started. Her brain was a little foggy. She quickly realized that her lack of understanding of the words was not because she had some sort of brain damage, but because the lady was speaking another language. It took her a moment of replaying the words in her head to figure out she was speaking French. " _Répétez s'il vous plait_?"

The woman gave her a questioning look before asking, " _Parlez-vous français_?"

Lydia sighed. " _Un petit peu. Je parle anglais_."

With a heavy French accent, the woman replied, "I speak English as well."

Lydia sighed in relief. "Wonderful." The banshee looked around and saw she was in a bed in, what looked like, a house. "How did I get here?"

" _Mon mari_ found you in the woods."

" _Just_ me?" Lydia asked, panic setting in.

"He found me too." She heard from the door. Stiles was leaning against the door frame.

The woman _tsk_ ed at him. " _Je dit vous reposer._ "

" _Je suis desolé,_ Amelie." The woman got up, but gave him a knowing look as she left. " _Merci, beaucoup_."

"You speak French." Lydia said it as a statement.

Stiles shrugged. "I took Ms. Morel's class."

Lydia shook her head. "I'm still learning new things about you everyday."

"Same here. Infant CPR?" He said as he walked over to the bed. "That was a new one."

"Well, to be fair, it was all one class. Infants, children, teens, adults...different ratios of compressions to breaths, but same thing for the most part. Infants are slightly different because their bodies are more fragile, but..." Lydia trailed off when she realized she was rambling. "Sorry. Like you really want to hear about that."

"I think it's interesting." He told her as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

Lydia gave a small smile and felt a blush come to her cheeks. _Jeez, Martin...get yourself under control._ "God, I... I don't remember anything. Just bits and pieces. We were in that hatch and the Captain closed the lid. It was so cold."

"I dropped the device-"

"The device!" Lydia yelled suddenly. "Where is it?"

"Relax!" Stiles said, then reached under the bed and pulled out the black backpack. "I had the same reaction earlier when I woke up. I told them I was missing something, so Amelie agreed to have them show me where they found us, on the condition I would come back and rest." To prove she had nothing to worry about, Stiles opened the bag and showed her the device.

Lydia sighed in relief. "What did you say you were missing?" she asked him.

"Umm.."he blushed and held up his left hand. "My...uhh...wedding ring."

"Oh." Lydia said with a small smile. "Obviously you didn't find it."

"It was stolen..damn bandits."

Lydia couldn't stop the laugh that escaped, but covered her mouth to quiet it. Stiles laughed too. They were quiet for a moment before Lydia rubbed her eyes. Then, she had a sudden thought, "How long have we been here?"

"I don't know, why?"

"Amelie said her husband-"

"Francois."

"What?"

"Her husband's name is Francois."

"Okay...well Francois...found us in the woods...which means we weren't necessarily supposed to end up here."

"Which means," Stiles caught on, "We may have missed our assignment." He looked at the device and pulled up the last coordinates. He looked to the window and back to the device screen. "Well... judging by the way it looks outside I'd say it's probably around 7 or so. We got here at 17:01. That's 5:00...right?"

Lydia nodded. "Okay, so that's only about 2 hours time lost...assuming that this is the same day."

"It is. It definitely is." Stiles reassured her.

Lydia nodded. "Well, okay. Then, we should go." Lydia said as she gave Stiles a nudge.

"Now?" He asked as he stood.

"Yes, now!" She stood as well, then looked down. "What the hell am I wearing?" She was in a long, warm nightgown that probably belonged to Amelie. Stiles stifled a laugh. Lydia glared at him. "Find me something to wear!"

Even though she was sending him death glares, he couldn't stop the spread of the smile on his face. "I'll get Amelie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation
> 
> _"Elle est réveillée! Ma fille, vous sentez-vous en bonne santé?"_ : She is awake! My girl, do you feel healthy? (This is the literal translation, I would have used 'alright' in English, but the word it was giving me in French didn't have the connotation I wanted)
> 
> _"Répétez s'il vous plait?"_ : Please repeat?
> 
> _"Parlez-vous français?"_ : Do you speak French?
> 
> _"Un petit peu. Je parle anglais."_ : A little bit. I speak English.
> 
> _"Mon mari"_ : My husband
> 
> _"Je dit vous reposer."_ : I said to rest.
> 
> _"Je suis desolé"_ :I'm sorry.
> 
> _"Merci, beaucoup."_ : Thank you very much.


	23. Hypothermia-Induced Madness

**_03091915_ **

_**Artois, France** _

**_2013 Hours_ **

**_Near the German Line_ **

Stiles and Lydia had thanked the family for their kindness in nursing them back to health, but informed them they had somewhere else to be.

Stiles was leading Lydia to where he had found the device earlier so that they could determine where they actually should have gone and pray to God they weren't late. He saw her hand reach up and rub her shoulder for a moment, a pained expression appearing on her face.

"Is something wrong with your shoulder?" He asked.

"It's sore." Lydia told him as she flinched when she applied pressure to it.

"Did you pull a muscle or something?"

Lydia shook her head. "No, it's not like that. It feels like a bruise. Like I was hit with something or ran into something." She paused as she made a thoughtful face, almost as if she remembered for a moment what she did, but then she subtly shook her head again and shrugged.

He thought about that last two hours or so on the ship, trying to remember if he'd seen her hit her shoulder on anything, but nothing came to mind. Although, he _did_ have a crazy dream that he had slammed her shoulder against the device as they were making out, but again...it was a _dream_. It _had_ to be, because there was no way he had _actually_ been kissing Lydia Martin. _No way_.

He shook his head as if to convince himself further that he had imagined the whole thing.

"This is where I found our stuff." He motioned to the small area. "The bag was here, and the device was there." Lydia was wearing the backpack and took it off to reach inside and pull out the list. She was shocked to see that the piece of paper was still dry. The bag must have been waterproof somehow.

"We're looking for Arnaud Marceau." Stiles nodded and was about to open his mouth again when Lydia quickly said, "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" He asked.

"Sh!" She hushed him and closed her eyes. He tried listening carefully as well, and to his surprise he actually heard someone talking. Well, several someones to be exact.

"I hear it." He told her. She opened her eyes, looking halfway disappointed and halfway relieved. "Let's go." He told her and grabbed her hand to lead them in the direction the noise was coming from.

The truth was, Lydia hadn't had any predictions since they started this adventure; and while some would view that as a good thing, Lydia felt like she was useless without them. When Stiles didn't hear the talking at first she thought that maybe she was finally getting something. At the same time, she had been enjoying this nice reprieve from the supernatural (at least as it relates to her) and she didn't necessarily want it to go away. So, when Stiles said he heard the voices too, she wasn't sure if she was happy or upset. She decided it was a little bit of both.

As Stiles grabbed her hand and gave a tug in the right direction, she felt a pain in her shoulder again. It was only for a moment, and it was barely noticeable, but the thought of how it happened sent a tingle up her spine. She had tried convincing herself she was crazy, but it was suddenly all coming back to her. Her lips were so cold she could barely feel his. She definitely didn't feel much when the device got caught between the wall and her shoulder, but she was certainly feeling it now. Part of her, the logical part, knew that they had both been hypothermic and neither were in their right minds. _Making out in_ freezing water instead of _getting out of_ freezing water was definitely something she'd file under 'risk-taking behavior.'

The romantic in her, though; that part of her couldn't help think that he had kissed her back! She thought about asking Stiles if he remembered it happening, just to get a gauge on how he felt about it. Did he mean to kiss her back? Did he want it to happen again? If not, then together they could chock it up as some hypothermia-induced madness. If not, she would be crushed.

Lydia looked down at their hands realizing their fingers were now intertwined. She swore when he grabbed her hand it was more of 'I'm holding your hand so I don't lose you.' Now it was like 'I'm holding your hand because I love you.' And since she had been in her own little world, she wasn't sure who had made the move. What she did know is that neither of them was stopping it.

She decided that she should just tell him how she feels and get it all out in the open. Lydia took a few deep breaths as she gathered up the courage to say something. Finally she opened her mouth to speak.

"Look!" Stiles said as he pointed to a small group of soldiers, "How much do you want to bet that one of those men is Arnaud Marceau?"

Lydia let out a breath and she wasn't sure if it was frustration or relief.

Just past the soldiers was a large tent. A red cross was painted on the outside. "That's my way in." Lydia told Stiles as she motioned to the tent.

"As a nurse?"

"If we can't prevent something from happening to him, maybe I can prevent it from becoming fatal."

Stiles nodded. "Okay, so obviously my way in is through the soldiers. But how do I become a soldier?"

Lydia smirked. "You're Stiles. You'll figure it out."

Stiles looked down at her with a soft smile on his face, then looked down at their interlocked fingers. When had that happened? In a panic, he let her hand go. God, he felt so stupid. He really needed to keep his feelings in check. He looked back at her, feeling slightly embarrassed, but she looked sad. She was still smiling, but it looked sort of forced now.

"Good luck." She offered and walked toward the med tent.

He sighed. Now, he felt even more stupid as he thought, what if _she_ was the one who held  _his_ hand. The logical side of him was sure that Lydia would never in a million years feel like that toward him. The romantic side of him still had a 15 year plan in place to make her fall in love with him, and he wasn't giving up that easily.

**_03121915_ **

**_Artois, France_ **

_**1203 Hours** _

**_Med Tent_ **

"Lydia! I need more gauze!"

"Coming!" Lydia shouted over the noise. There was a lot of screaming; men who were in tremendous pain from being shot or blown up. If she listened past the noise of the tent, she could hear the gunshots and explosions from the battle, and all she could think was that she hadn't seen Stiles in 3 days. Not since they parted ways that night. She chose to believe that was a good thing because this tent was where they brought the injured and the dead. It was a hospital and a morgue. She tried not to think about the other options, that he had been captured by the German soldiers or that there was just nothing left of him to bring back. She gagged, feeling physically sick from the thought.

She grabbed the gauze like she had been asked and brought it over to the head nurse, Phoebe. She was from England and while strict, Lydia didn't mind her authority. When they had their moments of quiet, she was actually quite enjoyable to be around. When Lydia had showed up in the med tent a few nights earlier, Phoebe quickly put her to work without asking too many questions.

"Here." Lydia held the gauze out to Phoebe, who was trying to stop a soldier's arm from bleeding. "What happened?"

"He was shot. There's no bullet inside, it must have gone straight through. Just missed an artery."

"He's lucky."

Phoebe cocked her head to the side. "Try telling him that." She took a breath and continued trying to patch him up. "I'm almost done here. Can you go make sure those men get their water?"

Lydia nodded and walked away. There was a large bowl filled with water and ladle that the nurses used to keep the men hydrated.

The group of men she was currently tending to were all able to sit up, which made it easier for them to drink from the ladle while she held the bowl. There were only five in this group, but it was after the third one that it happened.

"I need help!" She heard a voice from the entrance.

Lydia slowly looked up. The man asking for help was carrying a soldier in his arms. The soldier hung limp, and blood soaked his torso. The man, who was also a soldier, walked in further and some nurses began to move toward him to take a look at the injured man in his arms.

Lydia's blood ran cold, and she swore her heart stopped beating and everything began moving in slow motion. Her arms suddenly lost feeling and the bowl of water fell to the ground.

The wounded soldier...it was Stiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Disclaimer* Part of this chapter and the one (or two?) to follow are based in fact. The region of Artois saw several battles in WWI. The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (which I've sort of used as a backdrop for these chapters) began on March 10, 1915 and ended March 13, 1915. However, I'm not sure if there were med tents or hospitals nearby for this battle, so that may not be true. Also, Arnaud Marceau is made up as far as I'm concerned. I attempted to find an actual person but decided to just make up a name instead.


	24. Smile

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sort of intense. You've been warned.

**_03121915_ **

**_**Artois, France** _ **

**_**1216 Hours** _ **

**_**Med Tent** _ **

The whole word seemed to have stopped moving for a moment as Lydia recognized Stiles being carried through the door. All of the noise muffled around her, and all she could hear was her blood pumping in her ears. This wasn't real. This wasn't happening.

"Stiles." She whispered, and suddenly she was moving toward them, slowly at first. Nurses were still closing in around the two men, and Lydia began to sprint forward. "Stiles!" She yelled as she got closer to him. "Stiles! No!" She was almost to him when Phoebe stepped in front of her and grabbed her arms that had been reaching out.

"Lydia!" Phoebe had already called her name several times, but this was the first one she heard. Behind Phoebe, one of the nurses was leading the man past her. Lydia turned her head to follow them with her eyes as he moved to one of the open beds behind her. "Lydia, look at me!" Phoebe yelled again. Lydia snapped her head back to look at Phoebe. "This may be a stupid question, but I have to ask... Do you know this soldier?"

Lydia nodded and felt a sob escape. It wasn't until then that she realized she was crying. "Yes." she finally said, barely above a whisper.

"How?"

"I..."Her mind was too jumbled to decide what to say. In the past few days he had been her brother, her husband, her best friend. "I...He..." Finally she decided to tell the truth. "He's the love of my life." Phoebe nodded, as if Lydia had just confirmed her suspicions. "Please..." She didn't finish the sentence before Phoebe walked toward the bed.

Lydia followed, but Phoebe turned to the soldier. "Keep her back."

"What?!" Lydia yelled. The soldier nodded and turned to the banshee. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her backward. "No!"She shouted as she tried to get around him. "Let me go! I need to see him!" She broke free for a moment , but he grabbed her arms from behind to hold her in place. The nurses were crowded around him and she couldn't see what was happening. "Stiles!" She yelled again as she tried to lunge forward, but the soldier had a better grip on her now. She wasn't getting away. She saw the nurses talking to one another, and she felt her stomach drop. An overwhelming sense of dread filled her. "No...This isn't happening." Suddenly, her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor. The soldier still held her arms as he knelt down next to her on the ground and she sobbed.

"He saved my life." The man whispered into her ear. "I don't know how he knew, but he jumped in front of a bullet." Lydia responded with sobs and sniffles. "Are you Lydia?" The man asked her. She nodded. "He hasn't stopped talking about you for three days. I can see why." Somehow that made the sobbing worse. "He wanted me to give you a message."

Lydia's ears perked up. "No." She told him and shook her head. "No, because if you tell me... then that means...That means he can't tell me and he...he has to...he has to tell me!" She said between sobs. Tears were streaming down her face and falling into her mouth as she spoke.

Lydia was looking down so she didn't see Phoebe turn around and exchange a somber glance with the soldier. "He said 'Tell Lydia I love her'."

Lydia felt her heart soar for a moment, before it took a crash dive and anger bubbled inside of her. "Why... why would you tell me th-"She looked up and saw Phoebe in front of her.

"Lydia, I'm so sorry. He's not breathing, his heart isn't beating, and he's lost a lot of blood." She shook her head. "He's gone."

Lydia covered her mouth. "No!." She began shaking her head and crying harder, "No, no, no, no, no...this isn't happening. It's...it's not happening. It's not real. It can't be real. He's...He's not..." She found the feeling in her legs and launched herself up and toward the bed, nurses moved out of the way as quickly as they could. She grabbed his hand in both of hers and began speaking so fast that all of her sentences ran together. "Stiles! I love you too. I love you too. I love you so much, and I wanted to tell you before, but I was scared that I was too late and now I... I can't be too late. You have to come back because I need you to know." She moved one of her hands to stroke his face. "Please don't...don't leave me. Stiles..." She sniffed and leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. When she lifted her head, she could see that his lips were wet with her tears. She rested her head on his chest, and sobbed as one hand remained on his cheek and the other held his hand. She could feel herself falling apart, breaking off in pieces."Stiles, come back." she pleaded. "Don't leave me. Please... I need you. I can't...I can't do this without you." She closed her eyes and laid there for several minutes, still sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. The entire place was in silence as they watched Lydia Martin's world shatter into a million pieces. Most of the nurses were crying, as was the soldier.

That's when she heard it. _Lub-dub._

Her eyes opened. "Stiles?" _Lub-dub._ She lifted her head and looked at his face. Suddenly he gasped and her heart leaped in her chest. "You're alive!" She told him, even though he was still unconscious; and then turned to Phoebe, who still had tears in her eyes as well. "He's alive!"

She ran over and Lydia stood up to make room for the other nurses. She turned back to the soldier who brought him in. "Thank you. I never got your name." Although, she'd had a sneaking suspicion.

"Arnaud. Arnaud Marceau." Lydia nodded and sniffled. Her breathing was finally returning to normal.

"Thank you, Arnaud. Thank you for bringing him back."

Arnaud smiled and shrugged. "It looks like you did that."

Lydia gave a watery smile. "Would it be weird if I hugged you?"

**_**03131915** _ **

**_**Artois, France** _ **

**_**1113 Hours** _ **

**_**Med Tent** _ **

Twenty-three hours. It had been twenty-three hours since Stiles Stilinski had died and come back to life. Twenty-three hours that he had laid unconscious in the uncomfortable hospital bed. (And it wasn't even like a present-day uncomfortable hospital bed, it was practically a prehistoric uncomfortable hospital bed. Actually, a prehistoric bed made out of stone would probably be a lot more comfortable.)

It had been twenty-three hours that Stiles had been trapped inside his own head. He could hear people around him, most of the time they were talking to Lydia who he knew never left his side. She would hold his hand and beg him to wake up, and God, if he wasn't trying his hardest. Now he knew how she must have felt all those days at Eichen House. He was pretty lucky to be alive in this time period though, with as badly as he was hurt, he was sure that there were other victims with similar wounds who weren't as fortunate. He owed that to Lydia. His tether. The one who brings him back. Was he smiling? It felt like he was smiling. Well, he wanted to smile...that had to count for something, right?

He had heard her say that she loved him. _She loved him._ He wanted to wake up so badly to see her face when she said it again.

Lydia knew that his mind was present even though his eyes were closed. Every now and then she would lay her head on his chest to hear his heartbeat and when she whispered "I love you." She would hear it skip. She secretly got a lot of pleasure out of that.

Aside from Lydia, there was Arnaud. Stiles had learned the battle had ended and some of the troops were moving out. Arnaud stayed behind. While Lydia was asleep, he had convinced the head nurse (Phoebe?) to allow him to stay and help out. She let him, saying something about how "Lydia isn't going to be of much use until her man wakes up."

Her man. He was _her man_. Was he smiling now?

He felt like he had been paralyzed by a kanima. What had Deaton said? Focus one part of the body and imagine it moving. He focused on his eyes. He wanted them to open. It took, what felt like hours -for all he knew it could have been minutes or seconds- but finally he was was able to force his eyes open. He looked around and took in his surroundings. Lydia was asleep. She had pulled a chair up next to the bed and had her head laying next to his right leg.

He focused on moving his right hand now. That didn't take very long. He flexed his hand several times before lifting it and stroking her hair. She began to stir and looked confused as she felt the hand on her head, but then she looked up and Stiles smiled at her-he was sure he was smiling this time.

"Stiles!" She practically shrieked and grabbed his hand as she sat up. "You're awake!"

"Yeah." He croaked out.

"Let me get you some water." She got up and grabbed a ladle and helped him sit up a bit as she poured the water in his mouth. When it was empty, she replaced the ladle and came back over. "Arnaud will be happy you're awake."

"And you're not?" He attempted a joke.

"No, I'm..." She sighed . "I'm extremely happy."

She held his left hand, but didn't make a move to do or say anything else. So it was going to be like this again? Dancing around their feelings and not saying them out loud? Well he'd had enough. He'd died and come back to life for Christ's sake and he'd be damned if anything would stop him again.

He purposely laced their fingers together and waited to see if Lydia was going to pull away. Instead she laid her head on his chest and sighed in relief. "God, you scared the shit out of me." Stiles smiled and began to stroke her hair again with his right hand. "You were dead and I was...I thought...I thought I would-"

"Go out of your freaking mind?" He offered. Lydia sat up again and bit her lip. Stiles's hand slid down and landed on her neck. She nodded and grabbed his wrist with her free hand so it wouldn't move.

"Yeah." She had unshed tears in her eyes when she said it.

"Hey," He said softly. "I'm here. I'm still here." She nodded, but she sniffled as a few stray tears came lose. "Shh..." He said gently as he used his thumb to wipe away the tears that he could reach.

She licked her lips slowly then leaned forward and pressed her lips against his in a gentle kiss. The hand he had on her neck, tangled into her hair. They let go of each other's hand and both brought them up to cup the other's face. This was only the second kiss that they would both really remember, the first being the one to stop a panic attack. There was no tongue, just lips on lips. Gentle, sweet, and perfect. Sure, they both wanted it to be more, but this was not the time or place.

Lydia pressed her lips together and blushed as she pulled away and grabbed his left hand with both of hers. Stiles's lips were still slightly puckered as he slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

"That was nice." He told her.

Lydia nodded ,"Yeah... it was. We should do that more often."

"I agree." He said heartily. Lydia smiled. "Hey," He said again and scooted over the best he could. There was still a pain in his side from where they sewed him up after removing the bullet. The bed still wasn't very large, but Stiles patted next to him anyway. "Come here."

He didn't need to ask her twice. Lydia quickly climbed into the bed next to him and curled up, laying her head on his chest again and he draped his arm around her.

"I love listening to your heartbeat." She told him. "I realized it a few days ago, but it sounds even better now that I'm familiar with the alternative."

"Well..." He started, " _I_ love... _you_." Lydia lifted her head and looked back at him, a small smile spreading on her face. It was the first time she was actually hearing it come from his mouth and she felt butterflies in her stomach. She leaned over and kissed him gently again.

"I love you too." She told him as she pulled away for a moment. Another soft kiss, then she rested her head on his chest once again and they both fell asleep.


	25. Are You Crying?

_**03131915** _

_**Artois, France** _

_**1301 Hours** _

_**Med Tent** _

Stiles gasped as his eyes flew open.

Lydia lifted her head sleepily and put a hand on his chest as she looked over at him. "Are you okay?"

His breathing was rapid and heavy and she could feel his heartbeat going crazy-and not in a good way. A thin sheet of sweat glistened on his face. He tried to form a response but his mouth wasn't getting the signal from his brain.

"Stiles? Are you having a panic attack?" All he could do was nod. Lydia rolled off the bed quickly and helped him sit up. "It's okay." She told him. He felt terrible. This was the third panic attack he'd had in front of her since they started this little adventure; and while they were all legitimate excuses, they still made him feel weak. "Hey...breathe with me. In...out...in...out..." He tried his best to keep up with her rhythm and slowly, his breathing began to return to normal. Once he had calmed down she asked,"Do you want to tell me what that was about?" As she climbed back into the bed.

"It was...a dream...a...a flashback. I got shot." Lydia grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.

"Maybe...maybe you should talk about it? Maybe that will help?"

He nodded. "Where should I start?"

She thought for a moment as a hint of a smile played at her lips. "Tell me all of it. I want to know everything. What happened when I left you that night?"

"Well, for starters, I'm glad you didn't take that bet, because none of those men were Arnaud."

Lydia chuckled and snapped her fingers. "Damn."

Stiles smiled. "I blended in with a flank of British soldiers, found a spare uniform in a bag. Nobody asked questions really. It was actually a complete accident that I found Arnaud. It was _him_ that walked up to _me_."

" _Hey, I haven't seen you before."_

_Stiles looked up and around just to make sure the man was actually speaking to him. "Um...yeah. I'm new. Just got in." The man gave him a curious look then nodded._

" _Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."_

" _You won't tell any one what?" He asked, his eyes widening._

" _That you sneaked in."_

" _Wh...what?"_

" _It's fine." He said slapping him on the shoulder. "I don't think you're a spy. I think you're just trying to do the right thing. You're a better man than me. I'm Arnaud."_

_Stiles was staring in disbelief and confusion. "Uh...Stiles...um...what do you mean I'm a better man than you?"_

" _If you'd walked up to me a few hours ago, I would have given you my uniforms and walked away. I'm not cut out for this. I've got a girl at home and I miss her like crazy."_

_'Are you kidding me?' He thought. If they were here when they were supposed to be, then he wouldn't be in this situation. "Then, what made you stay?"_

" _Got to talking to some guy and he made me realize what an honor it was to be here. Olivia and I will be together when I get back." Stiles nodded once, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face. "What about you. You have a girl at home?"_

" _Uh... not really. I mean... there's this girl that I've been in love with for awhile, but I don't think she feels the same way."_

" _Have you asked her?"_

" _Um..."Stiles scratched the back of his head. "No...we've just been friends for so long... I don't think either of us would want that to change."_

" _But if you haven't asked her, how do you know she doesn't feel the same way?"_

_He shrugged and shook his head. "I just..."_

" _What's her name?"_

_He smiled. "Lydia."_

" _Whoa...you weren't kidding. I can tell you love her by the way your face just lit up." He felt himself blush._

" _Is it that obvious? Do you think she knows?"_

" _I'm sure I don't know. What does she look like?"_

_Stiles sighed. "Five foot-three, strawberry blonde hair, green eyes..."_

" _Sounds beautiful. Do you have a picture?"_

_Stiles shook his head. "No, but she's here. In the med tent. We...came in together."_

"He pretty much talked about you every chance he got." Arnaud said as he walked over to the bed.

Lydia smiled up at Arnaud then turned back to Stiles. "Really?"

Stiles blushed. "That makes me sound obsessive."

"I don't know." Lydia bit her lip. "I think it's sweet."

"But mostly obsessive." Arnaud joked. "I'm glad to see you're alive, _mon ami_."

"I'm glad to _be_ alive."

"So," Arnaud asked as he motioned to the two of them. "When's the wedding? Am I invited?" Both of their mouths dropped slightly. "I'm just joking." He said, and they laughed nervously. The truth was, neither of them knew what was worse: The fact that they hadn't really thought about what this meant for _them_ (was there even a possible wedding in the future? Were they even on the same page?); or the fact that if there _was_ a wedding, it would be in their own time which would mean that Arnaud would likely not be alive.

"Arnaud!" Phoebe was calling him.

"Ah, I'm needed. I'll come check on you later." He told Stiles and he walked away.

"So..." Stiles started, awkwardly. "Where was I?"

"Talking about me every chance you got." Lydia smirked.

"Let's fast forward to yesterday." He gripped her hand harder and she knew this was where it got tough.

_Stiles and Arnaud were next to each other in the trench. Arnaud was facing toward the enemy with his gun out, while Stiles has his back against the trench wall. He was holding a gun in his hand, but he hadn't fired one shot._

" _What the hell are you doing, Stiles?"_

_Stiles shook his head. "I can't...I can't do it." Explosions were going off around him and someone a few men down had just fallen, the closest one he'd seen._

_His eyes burned and he tried to blink the tears away._

" _Are you crying?" Arnaud whispered, bringing his gun down._

_Stiles closed his eyes shook his head. "No."_

" _It's okay if you are."_

" _I'm prone to panic attacks." Stiles blurted. "My hands shake, and I can't catch my breath. There's an overwhelming since of dread and it crushes my chest. It's like drowning on dry land."_

_It's a moment before Arnaud responds. "That's why you had to sneak in." He says, as if understanding something._

" _What?" Stiles asked in confusion as he opened his eyes and looked to his right to see Arnaud. He had forgotten his cover story from a few days ago, but slowly, it came back to him. "Oh...yeah..." He looked straight ahead. "Sure...that's it."_

" _Look, if you need to leave, I'll cover you."_

_Stiles shook his head again. "I can't leave. I have to finish this." Suddenly, he felt like someone was watching him. He turned around and was hit with the feeling of recognition like he'd felt on the ship. He couldn't see anybody specific, but it was like he knew. "Get down!" Stiles yelled to his friend as he pushed him to the ground. For a moment he didn't even realize he had been hit._

" _What was that about?" Arnaud asked as he pushed Stiles off of him. That was when he saw the red stain and it was starting to spread. "_ Mon Dieu! _You've been shot!" Arnaud was trying to find anything that he could use to stop the bleeding, but nothing was working. Slowly, the shock and adrenaline was starting to wear off and the overbearing pain came next. "It won't stop!" Arnaud was yelling. "It won't stop bleeding!" Stiles looked up and saw tears in Arnaud's eyes._

" _Are you crying?" He asked, his voice shaking as he tried to make a joke. Arnaud ignored him, or tried to at least. "Oh God," Stiles swallowed. "I'm dying aren't I?"_

_Arnaud shook his head. "No. No you're not dying."_

_Stiles nodded. "Yeah... I'm dying..." He sighed. "Shit." He felt tears spring to his eyes. "I screwed up."_

" _No... You..you just...you just saved my life...you..."_

" _I didn't tell her." His breaths were shallow and Arnaud was still trying to stop the bleeding. "You have to tell her."_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _Tell Lydia I love her." That was when he passed out._

" _Tell her yourself." Arnaud said as he stood and lifted Stiles off the ground, then began running back to the tent._

Lydia rested her hand over the bandaged wound. "That'll probably leave a nasty scar."

"Scars are cool though, right?" He asked. "They make you look tough."

"You _are_ tough."

"Well, yeah, but now everyone will know it." Lydia chuckled.

"What are you two laughing at?" Arnaud asked as he walked over.

Lydia shrugged and pointed at Stiles. "This one thinks he's tough."

"Wha-you just said I was!" Stiles whined.

"Spoken like a true tough guy." Lydia laughed.

Arnaud smiled. "In all honesty, you are the toughest individual I've ever met. Against all odds you're here...we're both here. I don't know how I can repay you."

"You did. You got me to Lydia."

"No...I need to do something else... I know! I'll name my kid after you."

Stiles made a face. "Dude, no kid _wants_ to be called Stiles. Besides, Stiles is the lesser of two evils that is my name."

"What's the other?"

He shook his head. "Nope...sorry. My best friend doesn't even know that."

"But I know it." Lydia smiled, remembering the name was used to unlock the cipher that held the list.

"But, do you know how to pronounce it?" He challenged.

Lydia thought about it. "I could _try_."

Stiles shook his head. "I'd prefer you didn't."

_**03201915** _

_**Artois, France** _

_**0545 Hours** _

_**Med Tent** _

It was a week later before Stiles was able to move around enough without showing any outward signs of pain and Nurse Lydia deemed him fit to time-travel. He was still feeling sore and his stitches were still not ready to come out, but he was going stir-crazy and they both knew it was time to move on.

"You ready?" Lydia asked him when she had finished her morning rounds.

He looked around the large tent at the familiar faces and nodded sadly. "Yeah." He was already sitting up, so he slowly threw his legs over the side of the bed. Lydia put her arm around him for support. If it were anybody else, he would have made a big show about how he didn't need anybody helping him; but this was Lydia and would never say no to having her arm around him.

"We're going to take a walk." Lydia told Phoebe.

"Have fun." She smiled.

"Thank you." Stiles said, suddenly sentimental.

She was still smiling as she nodded, slightly confused. Lydia made a point to hug her several hours before so that she wouldn't suspect anything. Arnaud left two days earlier and they were grateful, because they at least got a proper goodbye instead of this fake goodbye they got with Phoebe.

Lydia led Stiles out to the back of the tent where she had left the bag the day before in preparation of the jump. She unzipped the backpack and pulled out the device and zipped it back. Stiles reached for the bag, but Lydia threw a strap over her shoulder.

"No, I can take it."

Stiles groaned. "Lydia," He whined. "Come on! I got shot! It's not like I-" He stopped mid sentence. Lydia glared at him, daring him to finish the thought. He sighed, defeated. "Yeah, okay. You can take it."


	26. Chapter 26

_**04061943** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**0842 Hours** _

_**Camp Oak Creek** _

Stiles was wearing a white undershirt and the pair of brownish uniform pants he'd stolen out of the soldier's bag, and as Lydia opened her eyes, she realized just how tight that t-shirt was.

Stiles opened his eyes right as Lydia gulped and looked away. A smile tugged at his lips, still having a difficult time believing that Lydia felt the same way about him as he did her. They still had yet to talk about that, but there was never really a good time.

Lydia took the device and shoved it back into the bag, then turned around. That was when they both saw the Oak Creek sign.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Stiles groaned. "We went from World War One to World War Two."

"Stiles," Lydia turned back, confusion written on her face. "Don't you realize the significance of this place?" Stiles blinked a couple of times and Lydia took that to mean she needed to spell it out for him. "This is where Kira's mom met Satomi. This is where the nogitsune was born." Lydia turned to look at the camp laid out in front of her. "This is where we save Allison." Her voice broke as she said her best friend's name. Lydia pressed her lips together. "Don't you get-" She turned back to Stiles just in time to see his eyes roll to the back of his head and his body fall forward. Lydia put her arms out instinctively to catch him. She looked down to see that his stitches had opened up and his shirt was staining red. "Well...I guess we found our cover." She said to herself.

* * *

_Stiles was sitting on the couch in his newly leased one-bedroom apartment, his very own bachelor pad. After the freedom of being out of his father's house while he was in college, Stiles knew he wasn't going to stay there long once he graduated. He had kind of always thought he and Scott would get a place, but then Scott and Kira decided to move in together, and he had to start looking for one-bedrooms instead of two. He ended up finding a perfect one bedroom, that was close to work and it didn't hurt that Scott and Kira had leased an apartment in the same complex._

_They had been living in their place for a little over two weeks, while Stiles moved into the apartment below theirs the day before. It was late by the time Scott had helped him move all of the furniture and boxes into the first floor apartment, and Stiles had gone to bed without unpacking anything. When he woke up the next day, he quickly realized he had no food. He also quickly realized he had no desire to start unpacking boxes so he made a trip to the grocery store._

_When he left the apartment, it was cloudy and overcast, and by the time he returned it was starting to thunder. Thankfully, he was able to get everything inside before the skies broke loose. After putting all of the bags of groceries away, he felt super accomplished, but then he turned around and looked at all of the boxes piled up in the living room. He decided that he would start going through the boxes and at least put them in the room they were supposed to be in._

_The first few boxes were clothes and those went into his room, then there were dishes that he moved to the kitchen. He still had seven boxes that needed to be moved when he opened the one that held his Xbox, and things only went downhill from there._

_He hooked up his television and his gaming system, found his games (decided to "organize" them), then decided to pop a game in "just to make sure everything worked." That was two hours ago and he was still sitting there playing the game. Suddenly, there was a bright bolt of lightning and loud clap of thunder and the power went off._

_Stiles sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Kira?" He yelled._

_Faintly he heard, "That wasn't me! I swear!"_

_He chuckled and stood up to walk back over to the boxes he hadn't touched (he was pretty sure there were candles and a lighter in one) when he heard a knock on the door. Stiles looked back at the door, confused. "Kira?" He asked, then chuckled again as he walked toward the door. "Kira, I know that wasn't you. It was just a joke." He opened the door and it wasn't Kira. "Lydia?" The banshee was sopping wet from head to toe, and her mascara was smudged down her face, although Stiles wasn't sure if it was because of the rain or if she had been crying. She was looking off to the side and not making eye contact. "Hey, come inside. Get out of the rain." He told her. She didn't move. "Lyd-"_

" _My mom's dead." She said, as if she couldn't believe it. Finally, she looked up at Stiles. If she had been crying, she wasn't crying now. His mouth was open slightly, hand still on the door, and he didn't know what to say. They stared at each other for a moment before Lydia finally walked inside the apartment._

" _Uh...umm." Stiles stammered as he closed the door behind him. "Wh..what happened?"_

" _They...they think she had a stroke and fell down the stairs."_

" _Why didn't you call me?"_

" _I can't find my phone. I think it's in my car." She told him innocently. Stiles was pretty sure that she was in shock._

" _Oh...So, you walked here?" She nodded. It was a beat before Stiles realized Lydia had been dripping water all over his new bachelor pad. "Hey, let's get you into something dry."_

_She nodded and followed him into his room. He found a t-shirt and some sweatpants and handed them to her. She took them, but didn't move. He stood there awkwardly. "The uh... the bathroom is right that way..."He pointed. "I'll just leave the room and let you get dressed." Stiles got back into the living room and pulled out his phone, sending Scott a quick text._

_'Lydia's here. Her mom died. I think she's in shock.' Stiles had barely put the phone back into his pocket when he got Scott's reply._

_'OMG! Do you you need me?'_

_Stiles shook his head then realized Scott couldn't see that. 'No. We're okay. I'll let you know though. If your mom is still at the hospital, you may want to let her know where she is. Lydia doesn't have her phone. They're probably looking for her.'_

_'Okay.'_

_Stiles suddenly heard loud sobs coming from his bedroom and he ran in. Lydia was on her knees, holding herself as she rocked back and forth. The only thing she was wearing was Stiles's shirt._

" _Hey," He knelt down next to her and began to rub soothing circles on her back. Lydia leaned her head against Stiles's shoulder._

" _She's gone, Stiles."_

" _I know." After a long time of Lydia sobbing into Stiles's shoulder, she had fallen asleep. Stiles lifted her off the ground and laid her down onto his bed, figuring he would let her sleep while he went back to the boxes. He had made it to the door before he heard her voice._

" _Stiles?"_

" _Yeah, Lyd?"_

" _Don't leave...just...can you...can you hold me?" Stiles didn't say anything, he just slowly walked back over to the bed. He climbed in and Lydia turned onto her side to face away from him. He laid down on his side the same way she did, and draped a arm around her. She grabbed his hand in hers and shimmied as close to him as she could get. He was so focused on her, that he didn't even have time to remember that she was in only his shirt._

_With the steady beat of the rain against the window it wasn't long before they were both asleep._

_So much for unpacking._

* * *

"Oh, God." Stiles said as he woke up in another hospital-type bed. "Did I die again?"

Lydia leaned over so he could see her, because she had been just out of his peripheral vision. "No, you just passed out." He tried to sit up, but Lydia put a hand on his bare chest and pushed him back down. "Don't you dare. Your stitches opened up, and we're trying to fix them."

"We?" He asked.

"Hi, Stiles." A man said as he moved into Stiles's line of vision. Stiles immediately recognized the bomber jacket he was wearing.

"No! Get away from me!" He yelled and began kicking and flailing, trying to sit up.

Suddenly, all he could see was Lydia, leaning over him with both of her hands holding him down. "Stiles, it's okay. This is Corporal Rhys. He's an army medic. He's going to help us." She saw the fear in his eyes and she leaned her head down to whisper in his ear. "He's not the nogitsune. He won't hurt you. It'll be okay." She kissed his jawline softly, and he closed his eyes, bringing his left hand up to his shoulder and resting it on top of hers.

They weren't sure how long they were that close, her warm breath on his cheek and his thumb caressing the hand on his shoulder, but they were taken out of it when Corporal Rhys cleared his throat.

Lydia pushed herself up to look at him, Stiles still holding her hand.

"All done." He told them. "But, I would recommend resting awhile."

"Thank you." Lydia told him as he walked away, then turned back to Stiles. "Do you want to sit up?"

"Yes, please." He let go of her hand as Lydia helped him up. "Where's the bag?"

"It's right here." She told him.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked her.

She shrugged. "What was I supposed to do? You were bleeding! When would I have had time to do anything with it?"

Stiles nodded, but something knocked at the back of his mind, telling him this was wrong. He felt it the whole week prior too. He hadn't said anything to Lydia yet-when had there been time?

Time. Stiles inwardly laughed at the irony that they had no time to do anything when two feet away there was a device that could pretty much give them all the time in the world. Over Lydia's shoulder he could see Rhys talking to someone, he abruptly grabbed their arm and walked away, but not before Stiles got a glimpse of her face.

"Holy shit!"

"What?" Lydia looked back to see what Stiles was talking about, but didn't see anything.

He shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I just saw Kira."

"You probably saw Noshiko. Her mom."

"Do you think she saw us?" He asked a bit frantically.

"I don't know."

"I mean... if she saw us, that's probably not good, right? Oh God, isn't Satomi here too? We have to get out of here."

"Stiles, calm down!"

"What happens if we cross paths with people we know from the future?"

Lydia thought for a moment. "I don't know."

"You mean you never wrote about that?"

"I don't think I thought about it. Remember? My plans were for research purposes. It was never my intention to be somewhere with people I would know."

"Alright, then we just need to hurry up, save whoever we need to, and get out of this place. Because I don't want to mess this timeline up any more than it needs to be."

Something in the back of his mind told him it was too late for that.


	27. Rest

_**04061943** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1041 Hours** _

_**Camp Oak Creek** _

"Who is on the list?" Stiles asked. Lydia reached down and pulled the piece of paper out of the bag.

"It's just one word. Michio."

Stiles thought about the name. "Wasn't that a kid? Do you remember what happened to him?"

"He got sick and there was no medicine because the doctor was selling it. How do we stop someone from getting sick though?"

"We don't. We just have to make sure he can get better." Stiles went to stand, but Lydia put her hand on his chest again. He looked down and smirked. "I'm beginning to think you just like touching my chest."

Lydia blushed and moved her hand. "I..." She composed herself and began again more confidently, "Rhys said you needed to rest. I'll figure something out."

"Lyd-"

"No, buts. You took care of it by yourself last time. It's only fair that I take this one."

Stiles was about to protest, something along the lines of 'But I _died_ last time',but then he saw the Kira look-alike come back inside. His eyes widened and he mumbled "Noshiko."

Lydia quickly brought her lips to his as her hands grabbed his face. His eyes widened even more for a moment, in shock, but then he closed them as he relaxed into the kiss. His arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her even closer to him as she deepened the kiss. Her hands moved back to run though his hair. She felt him smile mischievously as the grip around her waist tightened and he pulled her down and rolled over in one swift move so that they were now facing each other on the bed.

She put her hand up to catch her breath. When she opened her eyes, she saw that it had landed on his bare chest once again and he was smirking at her.

"Okay," she conceded, breathless, "Maybe I like touching your chest."

Stiles smiled, happy that she admitted he was right. "Is she gone?"

Lydia had almost forgotten why she had kissed him in the first place. She looked over his shoulder and sighed. "Well, part of me wants to tell you no, just so I can kiss you some more. The other part of me knows we're probably making everybody else uncomfortable, and also we have things we really need to do."

Stiles groaned and brought his forehead to hers. Lydia giggled and kissed him again. "Alright," she said after a moment. "I really need to get up now." She got off the bed on the opposite side of which she got on, as to avoid any other uncomfortable moments (like her straddling him), and turned back to him. "Rest."

* * *

_Stiles and Lydia laid next to each other on Stiles's bed, both completely out of breath, bodies glistening in sweat._

" _Well..." Stiles began. "_ That _happened."_

_Lydia nodded, breathing heavily. "Twice." She turned her head to the side to look at him. He felt her eyes on him and turned his head to look at her as well._

_Stiles frowned a moment. "How do you think Kira would feel if she knew that we spent the day of her funeral having sex?"_

" _Please," Lydia smiled. "She'd love it. She'd ask us why we waited until after the funeral instead of just doing it at the grave site."_

_Stiles chuckled. "So, forgive me if I'm rushing into things, but do you want to move in with me?" He tried to say it seriously, but he was smiling too hard._

_Lydia laughed. "I hate to break it to you, Stilinski, but let's be honest." She threw her leg over him and sat up, straddling him. "This is has never been_ just _your apartment." She leaned down to kiss him and he flipped them over._

" _Ready for round three?" He asked with a grin. Lydia only giggled in response._

* * *

_**04061943** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1409 Hours** _

_****Camp Oak Creek** ** _

Stiles woke up, but kept his eyes closed a moment as he reminded himself of where he was. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by the feeling that he was being watched. He thought that it may have been Lydia, but he decided that the feeling he had wasn't the same as the way he felt when Lydia was looking at him.

Slowly, he decided to open his eyes. Kira was staring right at him. Wait...not Kira. Noshiko.

"Oh my God." He jumped.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Um..."Stiles started, but wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to be rude, but he also wasn't sure how much he should say to her. "It's fine."

"I noticed you and your girlfriend."

"Oh, she's not my-"He stopped. "I don't know what we are."

"Well, whatever you have. I envy it. You two seem like you're in love."

Stiles smiled. "Thanks...I mean...I'm sure you'll find someone. Maybe a nice Korean!" He had meant to say the last part in his head, but realized that it actually came out when Noshiko gave him a confused look. "I got shot." He quickly blurted. "I've been saying weird things ever since. Ignore me." Noshiko nodded slowly before walking away.

Stiles let out a breath and looked around, spotting Lydia on the other side of the room. He got out of the bed and ambled over to her as he held his side.

"Lydia!" he whisper-yelled as he got closer to her.

Lydia turned around, eyes wide. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Noshiko was just talking to me!"

"Oh, God...what did you say?"

"What makes you think I sai-" Lydia crossed her arms. "Yeah, I said things..stupid, _stupid_ things."

"Like what?"

"Like, that she should be possibly be looking for a Korean to fall in love with."

"Stiles!"

"I panicked!"

Lydia groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

"What are _you_ doing?" He asked her. She turned back around.

"I'm keeping tabs on the good doctor. We need proof of what he's doing if we're going to report him."

Stiles nodded then his forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Wait, what?"

"What?"

"You're planning on getting him fired?"

"Why not?" She asked with a shrug.

Stiles bit his lip. "It doesn't feel right. This is just like on _The Titanic_ when we had the opportunity to warn them about the iceberg. The list says to save Michio. We could make sure there was extra medicine around so he won't die. If the doctor gets caught, then so many more lives are being saved."

"But what he's doing is wrong!"

"I know that! Believe me, I do." Lydia pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, then took a deep breath.

"You're right."

"Ly-wait. I'm right?" A grin appeared on his face.

She glared for a moment, and the grin disappeared. "Don't get used to it."

"Stiles! Lydia!" Rhys was walking over to them. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Stiles told him. "Thank you."

"No problem." He seemed to be looking past them when he said it, but then he looked back at the two teens. "You should keep resting."

Stile groaned. "I feel like that's all I've done for a week."

"That's the only way it will heal properly. If you keep moving around, your stitches are going to come out again."

"Fine." Stiles sighed and turned around to walk away from them, but Lydia was walking with him. He looked up at her, silently asking why she was following him and not trying to hide the medicine.

"I can't do anything right now, too many eyes are watching." She told him, understanding his look. "I'll do something tonight."


	28. Do No Harm

_Stiles walked up behind Lydia, wrapped his arms around her waist, and leaned down to kiss her neck._

" _Stiles." She giggled. "You have to get off of me. They're going to be here soon, and dinner isn't even close to being ready. Besides, you've been glued to my side all week. I thought you'd want some space."_

_Stiles groaned. "No, I've been glued to your side all week, and now being away from it for one second is torture." Lydia turned around and patted his chest._

" _Oh, my poor baby." She cooed, then smacked his face lightly. "You'll live." She moved past him and toward the small island in the middle of the kitchen. He scoffed._

" _Excuse me!" She turned and gave him a smug smile. "You'll pay for that later." He told her as he took a step in her direction._

" _Oh, I_ will _, will I?" She smirked as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her back against the island._

" _Yeah." He said with a smile and put his hands on her waist again. She got up on her tiptoes and he leaned down, their lips meeting in the middle. As the kiss deepened, he picked her up and sat her on the island. Lydia wrapped her legs around his waist to be rid of any space they had between them. She was beginning to wonder if they had time before anyone got there when they heard a knock on the door._

_Stiles gave a frustrated sigh as he pulled away._

_Lydia giggled. "Coming!" She called to whoever was on the other side of the door._

" _Unfortunately, not." Stiles mumbled as they adjusted themselves, receiving a smirk from Lydia. He went to the door while she went back to cooking._

_Scott was there, then several minutes later Derek and Braeden showed up. Malia and Isaac showed up a little after (in separate cars of course, but it still seemed slightly suspicious.)_

_It wasn't until dinner was in full swing that they found out, although Lydia should have realized something was up when Braeden declined the wine Lydia offered._

" _So, how are you enjoying married life?" Derek asked Stiles and Lydia._

" _Well, it's only been a week," Stiles started, "But from what I can tell, it's not much different than before. Maybe less stressful, you know, since the wedding is finally over."_

" _You guys have been married longer than we have," Lydia told them. "What's the biggest difference for you?"_

" _It's..."Derek started, then smiled widely and turned to Braeden. "Should we tell them?"_

_Lydia and Stiles exchanged looks. "Tell us what?" Lydia asked, smiling in confusion._

_Braeden gave a tiny shrug before announcing, "I'm pregnant."_

_Lydia's eyes widened in surprise, and tried to keep the smile on her face as she felt like she had been punched in the gut. "Oh...That's great." Stiles grabbed her hand under the table and rubbed his thumb over it._

" _Congratulations, guys." Stiles told him, having a far easier time of being happy for the new parents-to-be._

" _I'm going to have a new cousin?" Malia asked. Braeden nodded happily. Malia got up and hugged Braeden while Scott and Isaac gave Derek hugs and congratulations._

" _We found out the day before the wedding." Derek proceeded to say. "But we didn't want to steal anyone's thunder so we waited until after you got back from the honeymoon."_

_Lydia nodded and plastered a smile on her face again. "That's great." She repeated as she bit her lip. The conversation then shifted to babies._

" _Have you thought of names?"_

" _Is it just one baby?"_

" _I'll bet it's twins."_

" _Boy or girl?"_

" _What do you want it to be?"_

_Stiles and Lydia stayed quiet. Stiles was attentively listening as he continued to shovel food in his mouth, but Lydia had started moving the food around on her plate and not actually eating it. Stiles could feel his new wife, slowly falling apart beside him. The grip he had on her hand kept getting tighter until he was almost sure he was cutting off the circulation. Then it happened, the moment they had both been dreading since Braeden's announcement._

" _So," Isaac started, turning to the newlyweds. "When are you two going to start having kids?"_

_Stiles gave a nervous laugh. "Well-"_

_He heard a sob next to him and Lydia abruptly stood up. "I'm sorry. Excuse me." She said quietly before running into the bedroom and slamming the door._

_The entire table got quiet, then Scott turned to Isaac. "What the hell, man?" He asked before slapping the back of his head._

" _Is she okay?" Braeden asked Stiles._

" _Uh...yeah...it's just..."Stiles felt a lump rise in his throat, but he swallowed it back. "Lydia.."He took a deep breath, having a hard time getting the words out. "We haven't told anybody yet...um...she...we...God..." He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. "Lydia can't get pregnant."_

_Braeden covered her mouth, Isaac and Malia just sat in shock. Scott was the first to speak, "Dude, why didn't you tell anybody?"_

_Stiles shrugged. "It wasn't anybody's business and you would just blame yourself, even though it wasn't anyone's fault."_

" _Why would I blame myself?" Scott asked. Stiles realized he may have said too much._

" _No, it's not import-"_

" _Stiles!"_

" _It's because of Kira!" Stiles snapped and the room fell silent once again. Stiles cleared his throat. "I should uh... I should go check on her."_

" _No," Braeden said, standing up. "Let me."_

_**04071943** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**0117 Hours** _

_**Camp Oak Creek** _

Stiles opened his eyes. He was tired of 'resting.' He had slept so much the past week that even the thought of closing his eyes made him want to scream. He tried sleeping this time, he really did, but it just wouldn't come. Lydia on the other hand had fallen asleep rather quickly. Her head was on his chest again and he had one arm around her. He had been laying there for several minutes before he heard Lydia sniffle. That was when he noticed that she was shaking slightly with sobs.

"Lydia?" He whispered. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She froze, suddenly aware that Stiles was awake. "Bad dream." She told him as he saw her wipe her eyes.

"What was it about?" He asked her as he began to stroke her hair.

She moved her head so that she was looking at him. "I don't remember." He wasn't sure if she was lying or not. "But you being here is making it better." She sat up after a moment and looked around the dark building. "It's late. We should probably do something with the drugs now and then we can get going."

Lydia went to stand up and that was when they heard it. Yelling. Lydia looked out the window and saw Rhys and the doctor having a heated conversation. Stiles stood up behind her to see what was going on.

"What are you doing?" Rhys demanded to know.

"What's it to you?"

"I saw you today. You didn't think anyone was looking, but I saw you moving all of that medicine. What are you doing with it?"

"It's none of your business."

"Wait, is it all in those boxes?" Rhys motioned to the boxes the doctor was holding.

"Corporal-"

Rhys quickly drew his gun. "Put the boxes down."

The doctor slowly sat the boxes down and raised his hands in surrender. "Rhys, think about what you're doing."

"You should have thought about what you were doing! What happened to _do no harm_?"

"I was just making a little extra money. What's the harm in that?"

"They harm is that you're selling medicine that doesn't belong to you. You're taking it away from people who need it. You'll kill them! That's the harm!"

The doctor took a step toward Rhys and suddenly the gun went off. Lydia let out a small scream and covered her mouth as the doctor fell to his knees, and Stiles pulled her away from the window as Rhys turned his head toward them.

"We need to get out of here. Now." Stiles said as he grabbed the bag and pulled the device out.

Lydia was shaking as Stiles tried to ready the device to take them to their next location. He was throwing the bag over his shoulder when Rhys walked in and began walking swiftly toward them. They were backing away from him as the device came to life.

There was a door on the opposite side of the room from where Rhys entered, and two teens headed toward it. They had just made it out when they felt that familiar _whoosh_ of jumping.

No doubt, Rhys was highly confused when he made it outside and saw no sign of them.


	29. Pure Sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING* There is strong language in this chapter. If you guys ever feel I should change the rating on this story let me know.

_**08161969** _

_**White Lake, NY.** _

_**1332 Hours** _

_**Just Outside of a Dairy Farm** _

"What the fuck?!" Lydia exclaimed as soon as her feet hit solid ground. "I mean, what the  _actual fuck_ just happened?" She was backing away from the Stiles and the device in horror. Her whole body was shaking as was her voice. Her hand went up to her mouth. "Did he die? Was he dead?"

Stiles shook his head and shrugged, as he shoved the device back into the bag. "I don't know." He was breathing heavily as he tried to comprehend what had happened as well.

"Was he going to kill us?"

"I don't know!" Stiles held one hand to his bandaged wound and the other to his forehead.

There was silence for several moments before Lydia asked, "Is your side okay? The last time we jumped your stitches came open."

"It's fine." He took a few deeps breaths as he tried to get a handle on his thoughts. "Okay, we're somewhere new. There's a whole other person that needs to be saved."

"Did we even _save_ Michio?" She asked almost timidly.

Stiles shook his head. "I don't know. I can't think about that now."

"Well, why the hell not, Stiles?"

"Because it's in the past!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?! _We're_ in the past! We've been living in the past for at least two weeks! Stiles, you don't get it! Michio was Allison! If we don't save him then Satomi still burns Rhys, Noshiko still calls out for the nogitsune, the nogitsune comes back and takes control of the oni, Allison still dies, and I still lose my best friend! "

"And I'm still the one left feeling fucking guilty for the rest of my life! Thanks, Lydia! I fucking get it!"

Lydia took a step back. "What, do you- You blame yourself?"

"Well it's my fault, isn't it? I didn't close the door. I'm the one who let it in. I built the bomb at the sheriff's station, I stabbed Scott. It was my face that kidnapped you, killed those people at the hospital, and ordered the Oni to kill Allison and Aiden. So yeah, I blame myself."

"Stiles," Lydia reached her hand out but Stiles jerked away and began rifling through the bag to get the list.

"Thomas Jackson. That's who we need to save." As he replaced the list, he grabbed his shirt from out of the bag. "Ugh! This thing smells."

"That's okay," Lydia said as she looked to see where they were. "You'll probably actually fit in better if you were shirtless." Stiles looked up and saw the sea of people in front of him and behind them, a stage.

"Are we where I think we are?" He asked.

"Well, if this is 1969,then I'd say yeah. It's Woodstock."

Stiles nodded. "Good to know." Then he turned back to Lydia. "You need to change."

She sighed, "Can't I just take my clothes off and fit in too?"

"Probably, but I wouldn't be comfortable with that."

Lydia smiled, "And let me guess, you're going to find a shirt too."

"Oh, hell yeah. But I mean, with everybody taking their clothes off, it shouldn't be too hard, right?"

It wasn't.

Lydia found a long skirt and a light blue top. Stiles was able to find a pair of jeans (that were really tight, by the way) and a thin woven hoodie. The first thing he did was pull the string out.

"What are you doing?" Lydia asked him.

"Taking the string out?"

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. That's what I've always done." Lydia thought about that.

"Oh my God! You're right! The strings are missing out of all of your hoodies." Stiles just nodded and shrugged, as if saying 'your point?' '

The two of them separated so that they could change clothes. Well, so that Stiles could change clothes, because he was the one who really had a problem with it. He stepped behind a parked van and changed his pants, and when he was done, he saw that on the other side, there was a girl who was making flower crowns.

"Are you selling those?" The girl nodded. "How much?"

"How much do you have?"

Stiles reached into his jean pocket, and found a dollar. He felt sort of bad since he had just stolen these pants from some other guy, but shrugged it off, as the girl let Stiles pick which flower crown he wanted. He chose one with yellow and white flowers and gave the girl the dollar.

By the time Stiles found Lydia in the crowd, Santana was already playing. He gave her the crown and she put it on and beamed, looking like pure sunshine.

"This is insane!" Lydia yelled over the noise, but she had a huge smile on her face, their fight from earlier long gone.

"Yeah,"Stiles gave her a small smile as well, "It's just going to be really difficult to find one guy in the middle of this crowd."

Lydia was about to nod in agreement when somebody stepped up to the microphone. "Thomas Jackson, your wallet was found. It's with security on the side of the stage."

"Seriously?" Stiles asked out loud.

"Don't question it." Lydia told him quickly. "Just go with it. Come on."

They made their way over to security and waited for him to show up. Stiles was beginning to wonder if he was already dead and they were too late, when a man stumbled over to security. "Heeey. I'm Tommy." The guy was obviously on something, maybe a few different somethings. Both security guards just stared him down. "Tommy Jackson? You found my wallet?" They flipped the wallet open and looked at the license inside and seemed to agree that this was, in fact, the owner of the wallet. "Thanks, man."

"Lydia, go." Stiles said, pushing Lydia toward him.

"What?"

"Just go! I'm behind you."

"You want me to-"

"Go!."

"Fine!."

Lydia stumbled over to Tommy. "Oh my God!" She exclaimed, channeling her inner hippie. "You're the guy who lost his wallet? You're like famous." She bit her lip, and Tommy gave her a confused look.

"Really?"

"Yeah! They called your name out on the stage. That's so cool! Hey, do you mind if I hang out with you? My friends ditched me."

"Yeah, that's cool."

"Awesome." She turned around and saw Stiles following closely. "Oh, hey, baby!"

"Baby?" He mumbled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to her.

"This is my boyfriend, can he join too?"

"Boyfriend?" Stiles and Tommy both said at the same time.

"Uh...yeah... I guess." Tommy agreed, sort of reluctantly. Stiles was trying not to over-think the fact that she had called him her boyfriend.

It wasn't working.

His rational self was telling him that they had also called themselves husband and wife before the whole WWI fiasco, and that didn't mean anything. Or did it? Because apparently they were both in love with each other and nobody had the balls to say anything until someone was dying. Unfortunately for Stiles, that someone was him.

The difference, Stiles told himself, was that marriage wasn't a possibility. They couldn't go from best friends to suddenly married in the matter of moments. But _boyfriend_? That was too close to home. They basically confessed their love for each other (and kissed _several_ times), so it was the next logical step, and Stiles would _love_ to be her boyfriend. But, what if Lydia wasn't ready for a seriously relationship? Could he even _do_ the casual thing with  _Lydia_?

"Stiles?" Stiles looked up and Lydia was staring at him expectantly.

"What?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Tommy asked us if we wanted to hang out in his _van_." Lydia's expression was unreadable. It actually looked the way Stiles felt, like something she didn't want to do, but probably should. On the one hand, they shouldn't leave Tommy's side now that they know he's who they needed to save. On the other hand, the van sounded...well, creepy.

"What do you think?" He asked. She shrugged. He turned the Tommy. "Are you going into the van whether we follow you or not?"

Tommy shrugged. "I don't know."

"Then, can we not go into the van and still hang out?"

Another shrug. "I guess so."

"Perfect! Let's do that."


	30. Like You're an Angel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: Don't do drugs.
> 
> Also, PSA2: Don't do research on drugs, because that can bring you to very scary corners of the internet.

_**08161969** _

_**White Lake, NY.** _

_**1717 Hours** _

_**Woodstock** _

Stiles's hands were on his face and slowly moving downwards distorting his features immensely.

"Oh my _God_!" He grumbled.

Tommy was telling the story of how he was fired from his job the week before. He kept forgetting where he stopped talking and had repeated the same thing five times already. And he wasn't speaking quickly either. Stiles was trying to be patient, but he had finally had enough.

He realized the bandage on his wound needed to be changed and was happy to have an excuse to get away. Luckily, Lydia (always thinking ahead) had thrown a few bandages into the bag while Stiles was supposed to be "resting".

"I'm going to take a walk." Stiles announced as he grabbed the bag. When Lydia looked over, he motioned to his side. "Will you be fine by yourself?" He asked her.

She nodded. She was clearly a lot more patient than he was, because she didn't seem phased by Tommy's incredibly boring story. Stiles stood up from their small circle they had made in front of Tommy's van and began to walk away.

As he tried finding a well-lit area, he let the fact that he was at _Woodstock_ sink in. Unfortunately, he didn't know the band playing. Somebody said it was the Keef Hartley Band, but Stiles had never heard of them. Their set was almost over, and he wasn't familiar with the next artist either. There were a lot of bands that were playing that weren't popular anymore, which surprised him.

Stiles finally found a light and stood next to it. He peeled the bandage off and examined the wound. He was no doctor, but it looked like it was healing. He replaced the bandage, and after several minutes, found a trash can to throw the old one into.

"Help me!" He heard a girl yell. He turned around, and suddenly she was in his arms. "Please, he's chasing me!" Stiles looked up and looked around, but didn't see anybody who looked like they were after her.

"Who's chasing you?"

"The monster!" She screamed and pointed at nothing. "He's right there!"

"Do you know this young woman?" Stiles heard next to him and turned to see a couple of police officers.

Stiles shook his head. "No, she just ran up to me."

"We'll take it from here." The other officer said and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Please!" She began again, with the cop this time, as he led her away. "He's chasing me! He's right there! He's going to kill me!"

Stiles was slightly concerned that they would be dealing with something supernatural while they were here, but then reminded himself that LSD was an extremely popular drug, and she was probably just on a bad trip.

He made it back to the van right before the next act started, and dropped the bag next to Lydia.

"Did you enjoy your walk?" She asked him.

"It was fine." She picked up a cup sheepishly and handed it to him.

"What's this?" He asked as he took it from her.

"Sorry, I drank your drink." She said as she fanned herself.

"I..."Stiles started as he thought about before he left. "I didn't have a drink."

Lydia's eyes widened and Stiles noticed that her eyes looked like they may have been dilated. Tommy and his friend Larry began laughing. Stiles's blood began to boil and he turned to Tommy and grabbed his shirt. "What did you do to her?! Huh?" Tommy laughed again. "What the fuck did you do?!" Stiles yelled again, then took a swing, fist connecting with jaw. "Did you drug her, you son of a bitch?" Then another. And another.

"Stiles!" Lydia yelled.

"Chill out, man." Larry began. Stiles dropped Tommy on the ground and turned to his friend.

"Did you say something?"

"She just needed to relax a little." Larry had barely gotten the full sentence out before Stiles tackled him to the ground.

"Stiles, stop!" Lydia put a hand on his back. Stiles calmed at her touch and stood up. "Maybe we should just walk away."

Stiles took several deep breaths and grabbed the bag. "You're right. Let's go." He put his hand on Lydia's shoulder and led her away from the van. They didn't go as far away as he would have liked, but they still needed to keep an eye on Tommy. "Okay, look at me." He told her as they got away. She looked at him, and he used his thumb to open her eyes. "Your eyes are dilated." He told her as he confirmed his suspicions. "And you're sweating." He noted as beads of moisture formed on her forehead. "How are you feeling?" Stiles asked her.

"Warm. And shaky." She said, "But I don't know if that's from the drugs, or because you're so close to me and looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're concerned."

"Well, I _am_ concerned. He probably slipped LSD into your drink and that can go one of two ways. Really good, or really bad."

She nodded. "I'm probably going to hallucinate." She lowered her head and swallowed, her breathing increasing slightly.

"Well, I'll be right here, okay. I'm not going to leave again."

Lydia gave him a small smile as she looked up. "There's like...an aura around you. Like you're an angel."

Stiles gave a small smile at the comment. "Yeah, that's _definitely_ the drugs." He sat her down on the ground where they could still keep Tommy in their sights, but far enough from anybody so that they wouldn't be a problem to anyone else. He wrapped his arms around her, and she sat in front of him.

Several minutes went by before he heard her say, "Allison? I'm so glad to see you! I have so much to tell you." He listened to Lydia carry on a one-sided conversation with 'Allison' for hours. She was speaking animatedly about everything that had happened since her death, starting with how they defeated the nogitsune and Aiden's death. Something about the whole thing made Stiles feel like he was actually sitting in on one of their conversations, and he tried not to listen too much. He heard Lydia say, "I'll let him know." Then she turned to him. "Hey, Stiles?"

"Yeah?"

"Allison says she doesn't blame you, and she said you should stop blaming yourself."

Stiles felt his breath hitch. Even though he knew it was all a figment of Lydia's imagination, hearing it somehow made him feel better.

"Tell her I said 'thank you'."

"She says 'you're welcome'"

Lydia continued talking to 'Allison' and Stiles went back to paying more attention to the music and Tommy than Lydia's conversation. He caught bits and pieces of Lydia's part, the last thing being about the glowing nemeton. He wasn't sure if he was not listening in on purpose, or if it was a subconscious thing. Maybe he was afraid he would hear something that he wouldn't be able to _un_ -hear, whether it was good or bad.

It was after midnight before she said 'bye' to Allison and several minutes later, she looked over Stiles's shoulder and gasped. "It's Peter! Stiles, it's Peter." Stiles turned to look at where her eyes were focused. There was nothing there.

"It's okay, Lydia. I'm keeping you safe, remember?"

She nodded, but began crying. "His face." She whispered. "Stay away from me!" She screamed, and a few people turned around, obviously thinking she was yelling at Stiles.

"Shh..." He whispered in her ear.

"They're so loud." She said suddenly as she covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

"What is, Lydia?"

"The voices. The screams. My head is going to explode."

"Hey, focus on my voice, okay? Focus on the sound of my voice. Everything is going to be okay." She began to calm down, and he continued whispering things in her ear.

He ended up laying down with her and holding her. After awhile, the trip seemed to end, and she had fallen asleep. Stiles was completely exhausted, but he needed to be ready for Tommy, and whatever was going to happen.

Luckily, he didn't have to wait too much longer before he heard Larry screaming at Tommy to wake up. Stiles begrudgingly left Lydia asleep and ran over to Tommy, who was laying on the ground.

"What happened?" Stiles asked Larry.

"He was choking on something, and then he just passed out."

"Dammit." Stiles mumbled under his breath. His first thought was that he was going to have to perform CPR on the guy who drugged his...well...Lydia. The second thought was that he had no idea how to properly do CPR. He had learned at summer camp back in elementary school, but it had been so long. He knew the basics, but he was a little fuzzy on the details. "Okay." Stiles said, mostly to himself, and then opened Tommy's mouth to see if he he could see what he had been choking on. Nothing. He took a deep breath and began chest compressions. He remembered that sometimes chest compressions could make the object come back up. He wasn't sure how many he was was supposed to do, so he decided on twenty and then two breaths. It didn't feel right, but he was flying blind. After two cycles of compressions and breaths, Tommy opened his eyes, and Stiles rolled him on his side and turned away so that he didn't see the contents of his stomach that came up.

"Oh my God!" Tommy sat up, and Stiles couldn't help but look on with disdain. "Thank you!" He threw his arms around Stiles, but Stiles quickly pushed him off.

"Don't." He said and stood up. "God, you're like the worst human being on the face of the earth. I can't believe I had to save your life." He turned away, walked back to where Lydia was still asleep on the ground, and wished he had some toothpaste or mouthwash or something. He laid down, so tired he could barely keep his eyes open and fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the ground.

When he woke up the next day he felt a familiar gaze on him. He opened his eyes to see Lydia staring back at him.

"How long have you been staring at me?" His voice was scratchy since he'd just woken up.

"Not long." She told him.

"Okay, _why_ are you staring at me?"

"I'm trying to figure out if you're real."

Stiles quirked an eyebrow. "Are you still tripping?"

Lydia stifled a laugh and shook her head. "No. I just can't believe that you're actually this amazing. I mean, you took care of me all night."

"Well, of course I did. I would have done it for anybody."

"I know." Lydia said. "That's what makes you so amazing." Stiles smiled, not mentioning the part where he felt slightly responsible for her even being in that situation, because he had walked away.

He sat up, feeling like he had terrible bed head, and looked around.

"Wait," he said suddenly, noticing something wasn't right.

"What?" Lydia asked as she sat up as well.

"Are we missing something?" He asked and Lydia looked around. Finally, she noticed what Stiles had.

"Where's the bag?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FYI: 20 compressions to 2 breaths is NOT correct CPR..


	31. We Need to Talk

_**08171969** _

_**White Lake, NY** _

_**0809 hours** _

_**Woodstock** _

Stiles stood up and Lydia followed. They both took a look around, seeing if they could spot the black bag anywhere.

Stiles suddenly froze, eyes locked in one location. "That son of a bitch." He mumbled before running toward the van that Tommy and Larry hung out in.

"Stiles!" Lydia yelled as she tried to keep up with him. He got to the van and opened the side door. Tommy was holding something in his hands, and it took Stiles a moment to realize it was the device. Tommy was mashing buttons as if he was playing video game. Stiles gripped the door in anger, feeling his knuckles crack as he did it.

"Whoa, man." Tommy started, in awe. "What is this?"

"Didn't your parents ever teach you that taking things that don't belong to you isn't nice?" Stiles quipped as he reached for the device. Surprisingly, Tommy moved faster and pushed past Stiles to get out of the van. Lydia could practically see the steam coming out of Stiles's ears and she was pretty sure that he wanted to murder the guy. He took two large strides in Tommy's direction before Lydia put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"Stiles," she said calmly, "Get the bag. Make sure the list is in there." Stiles huffed and reluctantly turned toward the van to find the bag. Lydia turned back to Tommy. "Tommy, can you please give that back?"

"Why? What does it do?" He asked as he pushed more buttons.

"Tommy!" Lydia raised her voice slightly. "Please stop! Just hand it over! You don't know what you're doing." He responded by smiling mischievously and typing more. Lydia took a deep breath. "Fine. I tried to do this the easy way."

Lydia swung her left fist around and hit him in the jaw. He stumbled backward, then checked to see if he was bleeding. "Bitch." He muttered. Then, holding the device in both hands, he raised it over his head and lunged at Lydia, swinging it downward to hit her over the head. She reached her hands up and grabbed the device to stop him. She felt her palm hit several more buttons as the two of them struggled with the device, then there was the familiar vibration of it coming to life. Lydia quickly kneed him in groin and he let go of the device, his hands going between his legs.

"Stiles!" She yelled. "Hurry, I can't stop it!"

Stiles hopped out of the van and the two of them ran toward each other, barely making it before they were jumped.

_**02121970** _

_**White Lake, NY** _

_**1208 hours** _

_**Farmhouse** _

When they landed, they looked around and saw that they were in a farmhouse of some sort. The large barn doors were slid open, letting in a ton of natural light. There was a small desk set up and lots of straw piled up in the corners.

"What the hell?" Stiles questioned. "Where are we?"

Lydia looked at the device, but the screen was blank. She shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know. Something's wrong."

Stiles made a frustrated noise. "God, I hate that guy!" Lydia looked down and sitting on top of the desk was a newspaper. It was dated February of 1970, six months after Woodstock.

**LOCAL FAMILY KILLED BY DRUNK DRIVER**

_**Garrett Ferguson** _

**James Turner, his wife, Leslie, and their three year-old**

**daughter, Ava, were killed last night in an automobile accident.**

**The other driver, Thomas Jackson, was driving while intoxicated.**

**The Turner family were all pronounced dead at the scene,** **while**

**Jackson was taken to Catskill Regional Medical Center where he**

**died later from complcations. Mr. Turner was well-known for** **his**

**outstanding community service and will be missed by all.**

**A memorial service for the Turner family is set for February 13.**

There were pictures of the family, next to the article and a picture of Thomas Jackson as well.

"Well, it looks like you don't have to worry about him anymore." Lydia responded to Stiles.

"What?" Stiles asked. Lydia handed him the newspaper and Stiles read over it becoming increasingly angry. "Are you kidding me?" He finally said. "I had to save _that_ guy's life, just so he could kill a family and himself six months later?"

"Stiles-"

"No, this sucks! This isn't fair! He was like the worst human being on earth and the only thing that made his life worth saving is the thought that maybe he would end up doing a lot of good, but no. He killed a three year-old and her parents." Lydia lifted her right hand to touch Stiles's shoulder. And Stiles looked back at the picture, his voice breaking slightly. "She was only three."

" _I'm three!"_ They both heard a little girl's voice, and Lydia felt the device twitch in her left hand.

_**01232026** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**0716 hours** _

_**Bedroom** _

"I know!" It was Stiles's voice. They were suddenly in a bedroom. Stiles laid on the king-sized bed with a tiny mocha-skinned little girl with bright blue eyes. "You're getting so big!" He told her. The little girl smiled and Stiles continued. "Do you know what else is today?"

Something felt off about this jump as well. It was like they were invisible and the scene in front of them was going to be ripped apart at any minute. Lydia noticed that the device in her hand never stopped buzzing, and maybe that explained it.

"My party!" she announced happily.

"And that means you get to see Aunt Malia and Uncle Scott!"

"Yay!" There was a loud clap of thunder.

The little girl's eyes widened in fear and from somewhere off in the distance they heard Stiles's voice again.

_"Kira?"_

_**06022020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1516 Hours** _

_**Stiles's Apartment** _

The device still vibrated and the jump felt unstable. Stiles was on a couch in the dark, and only a little bit of light was being let in through the windows. _This_ Stiles looked a little younger than the one that they had just seen.

From somewhere, possibly above them, they heard Kira's voice. "That wasn't me! I swear!"

Stiles laughed and stood up. He looked at a stack of boxes and took a step toward them when there was a knock on the door. Stiles looked back at the door with a confused expression. Obviously he wasn't expecting anyone. "Kira?" He asked, then chuckled again as he walked toward the door. "Kira, I know that wasn't you. It was just a joke." He opened the door and there stood a rain-soaked banshee. "Lydia?"

Lydia's hand was still on _her_ Stiles's shoulder, but it slowly moved down and she squeezed his bicep.

"Hey, come inside. Get out of the rain. Lyd-"

"My mom's dead."

Lydia covered her mouth and gasped. Stiles only stared at the scene in front of him, feeling like he'd seen this before. Like he knew what was going to happen.

Lydia finally walked inside the apartment.

"Uh...umm." Stiles stammered as he closed the door behind him. "Wh..what happened?"

" _What happened?"_ It was Lydia's voice.

_**07082024** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1115 hours** _

_**Stiles's Apartment** _

"Stiles?" Lydia asked. Stiles's phone was to his ear, having just ended a call and they watched it slip from his grip and land on the kitchen floor. His hands were shaking and his breathing was becoming increasingly rapid."Stiles?" she questioned again, as the teens noticed for the first time that she was holding a smaller version of the three year-old they saw earlier. She was probably around one.

"My...My dad." Stiles choked back a sob. Lydia let out a small gasp and touched Stiles's cheek. "He's gone." The little girl reached out for Stiles and he took her. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and he hugged her tightly as Lydia hugged his waist.

"God, Stiles, I'm so sorry."

The teen-aged Stiles lifted his arm to wipe tears away with the back of his hand, and Lydia pretended not to notice.

"Hey," Adult Lydia said softly. "It'll be okay. I promise."

" _I promise."_ Stiles said as Lydia's echo-y sobs filled the air around them.

_**05012021** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1457 hours** _

_**The Clinic** _

She took a deep breath. "I took a pregnancy test. Two of them actually. Neither were conclusive. That's...That's why I came to Deaton." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I'm not though...pregnant." She let out a shaky sob. "'That's great', I thought. I mean, at first I was kind of excited, because I mean...we've been friends for so long and..."

She was suddenly overcome with emotion and Lydia had to look away from herself.

"And you'd make a great dad." She sobbed out. She cried for a few moments before taking a deep breath and beginning again. "But then, you know...I thought about it and we've only really been together for a couple of months, so really... now wouldn't be a good time." She sniffed. "But it was something that we could talk about in the future." She nodded her head. "We would have talked about it." She closed her eyes and sniffed again. "But now, there's...there's no point because...because I can't...I can't..."

Lydia was afraid to look at Stiles. She felt like he was watching something private of hers. She got lost in her own thoughts for a moment as she watched them hold each other , and it wasn't until then that she realized that this wasn't _her_ private moment. It was _their_ private moment. Her hand went further down his arm to his hand and she laced their fingers together.

"Did he," Stiles's voice broke, and he cleared his throat. "Did he say why?"

She nodded. "Do you remember when Kira died? What am I saying? Of course you do...It was only a few months ago." She took a deep breath. "I was leaning over her, holding her hand when it happened. Her body just erupted in foxfire and I was knocked onto my back."

"Yeah, I remember. It took you like two days to come to. Scared the shit out of me."

" _God, you scared the shit out of me."_ Lydia sounded relieved.

**_**03131915** _ **

**_**Artois, France** _ **

**_**1118 Hours** _ **

**_**Med Tent** _ **

Stiles smiled and began to stroke her hair again with his right hand. "You were dead and I was...I thought...I thought I would-"

"Go out of your freaking mind?"

Lydia finally looked at Stiles and he looked at her, each realizing that this was something that had actually happened to them, and had happened recently.

"Yeah."

_Stiles gave relieved sigh._

_**10172020** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1245 hours** _

_**Beacon Hills Memorial** _

"God, Lydia, I was so scared."

This was almost the exact opposite of the scene that had just played out, yet it was eerily similar.

"Hey," she said softly. "I'm okay."

She heard him sniffle. "It's just, I ...If I would have lost you, I...I would've..." He trailed off.

"Gone out of your freaking mind?" She offered.

He gave a small laugh. "Yeah." He sniffed. "Yeah, I would."

" _I would do anything for you, Lydia Martin."_

_**01032022** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**2115 hours** _

_**Lydia and Stiles's Apartment** _

"You are my partner in so many ways, and I've always felt we've had this connection."

Teen Lydia still gripped Stiles's hand and looked around at the candles lit up around the apartment.

"..This tether. I've loved you since the third grade and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon." He got down on one knee. "I've imagined this moment for a long time..." Lydia was already blubbering. "Sometimes I thought it wouldn't happen until much later, but I always knew it would happen eventually. We're endgame." He smirked and Lydia laughed. "So," Stiles reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "Lydia Martin, will you-"

"Yes!"

"You didn't even let me ask the question!"

Lydia blushed and laughed lightly as she sniffled. "I'm sorry."

"I mean, I could have asked you if you would take the trash out for the rest of the mon-"

"Stiles!'

He stopped and smiled, popping the box open. "Will you marry me?"

Lydia knelt down in front of him so that she could kiss him.

"Yes!"

" _Yes!"_

_**12122021** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**0001 hours** _

_**Lydia and Stiles's Apartment** _

"Yes!" Lydia gasped and grabbed the headboard. "Stiles!" She screamed in ecstasy.

Stiles's eyes widened and Lydia blushed. Neither of them could look at the other, but they didn't want to look at the scene in front of them either.

Suddenly Lydia screamed Stiles's name again, but it came from somewhere in the distance. And this time, it wasn't good.

_**11132026** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1849 hours** _

_**Lydia and Stiles's House** _

As they landing into another shaky scene, Lydia squeezed Stiles's hand and covered her mouth.

Stiles was standing in the center of a living room, a dagger in his abdomen. On the other side of the dagger was a young man, probably in his mid 20s. He removed the dagger and turned to the banshee that had just screamed her husband's name.

Stiles fell to the ground, as Lydia stood with her mouth open, a silent scream sitting in the back of her throat.

"Daddy?" They heard a small voice say. The man cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed in Lydia's direction. He took a step forward and Lydia threw her hands up and screamed. The man flew backward and hit his head on the coffee table.

Both Lydia and Stiles heard the sickening crack of his neck breaking. Then they heard the sound of little feet coming down the hall. Apparently, adult Lydia heard them as well, because she turned around.

"Go back to your room and stay there!" The little feet ran away and Lydia took a few steps toward Stiles who was laying on the ground, blood soaking his shirt. She knelt down next to him and with a shaky hand, closed his eyes, then she crumpled on top of him and sobbed into his chest.

_**10171953** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1026 hours** _

_**Beacon Hills Preserve** _

The device gave a jolt of electricity and Lydia let go, falling into Stiles and they both hit the ground. Lydia landed face first, resting her head against her forearm, while Stiles landed on his back a few feet away from her. Neither moved for several minutes as they tried to digest what had happened and what they had just seen.

"Um..."Stiles started. "I think we need to talk."


	32. The Worst Domino Effect Imaginable

_**10171953** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1027 hours** _

_**Beacon Hills Preserve** _

Lydia pushed herself off the ground and wiped her face. Stiles could tell she had been crying.

"About what?" She asked.

Stiles's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" He asked incredulously.

Lydia pursed her lips in anger. "Yes, I'm serious. There's a lot of shit we should probably talk about. Like all the shit that happened the past few jumps, including, but not limited to the shit that we just saw. Or maybe you want to talk about how we probably fucked up the entire timeline several times over in the _worst_ domino effect _imaginable_ , or maybe-"

"Okay!" he yelled over her and she closed her mouth. "I get it. There's a lot to talk about."

Lydia reached for the device several feet away and sighed deeply. "At some point we should probably also talk about how we're going to get out of here because the device is fried." She handed it to Stiles and he took it from her, and stared at it.

Stiles took a deep breath and mumbled. "I'm not going to panic. I'm not going to panic."

Lydia took a deep breath and looked around. "God, where are we?"

Stiles looked up. "Well, judging by the trees, I'd say we're in the woods." If looks could kill, Stiles would be dead and decaying based on the glare Lydia was giving him. "It was a joke!" He said defensively. "I'm trying to lighten the mood. Remember when I used to be funny, sarcastic Stiles? You know, before all the time traveling and declarations of love."

Lydia huffed. "So _that's_ what you want to talk about?"

"What? No...I mean.. yes, but...like you said, there are a lot of things to talk about. That's just one of them."

She sighed. "Okay, so this is what we're going to do. First, we're going to find out where and _when_ we are. Then we're going to "blend in" and find a place to stay, and something to eat-not necessarily in that order. We're going to make a list of everything we want to talk about and then we're going to go through it one by one." She sighed again. "Things have been tense. I've felt it too. And it's not about _us_. I mean, part of it is, but I think we're both feeling this stress, and I think it would be good for us to talk through all of it. We're not done yet, and now is not a good time for either of us to have a breakdown. "

"I'm not going to break down." Stiles said quietly, then looked up at Lydia. She pressed her lips together and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I wasn't talking about you."

Stiles eyes softened, and he reached for her hand, but she moved it. "Come on." She stood up. "Let's get out of here." Stiles looked up at her for a moment before moving. He grabbed the device and dropped it into the bag then stood up. Lydia started walking away and Stiles bent over to pick up the bag. As he raised his head, he did a double take to his left.

"Uh, Lydia?"

She stopped and turned around. "What?"

"Uh, it's hard to tell, because it's a lot bigger than I remember, but," he pointed. "Isn't that the nemeton?" Lydia followed his finger and saw the large tree.

"Well, I guess that answers the _where_. Now, the question is, _when_?"

"Well, it hasn't been chopped down yet. so..." Lydia looked at him expectantly. "So...I don't know what that means. I don't know when it was cut down."

Lydia groaned. "Me neither. At least we have an idea about where we need to go."

"Yeah. The school."

Lydia raised her eyebrow, "What?"

"Well, the way I see it, that's going to be the best way to get clothes. The locker rooms."

* * *

 

When they got to the school, they discovered it was October, 1953. They also discovered it was Saturday, and while that put a tiny hitch in the plans, they were still able to find clothes after going through a few lockers, then finding the lost and found.

"What's our cover?" Stiles asked as they got out of the school and began walking through the parking lot.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're teenagers. We _look_ like teenagers. We have to be convincing that we're not. Or, if we are, that we're not actually supposed to be in school."

"So...do you want to get married?"

"What?!" Stiles voice rose an octave.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Relax! I meant, do you want our cover story to be that we're married?"

"Uh...I don't know...is that what you want it to be?"

"I don't know! You're the one who said we needed a cover story."

"Well, if you don't want a cover story that's fine, but-"

"No...you're right, we need something. What if we're newlyweds and..." She sighed and thought about a convincing lie, "and we just found out that I'm pregnant or something?"

"Why do you always have to be pregnant?"

"Do you _not_ want me to be pregnant?"

Stiles could see more than just frustration over agreeing on their cover behind her eyes. He thought about the things he'd seen in their mini time tour and realized that it had gotten to her-something they would definitely need to talk about.

Stiles took a deep breath. "No...No, you should be pregnant. It will help sell the story. So even if they think we're kids, it would still make sense if we weren't in school."

"But, we should say we're older? Right?"

"Yeah...I mean...we could pass for 20, can't we?"

"I think so."

"Okay, so we're 20. Just got married. You're pregnant-"

"Wait, did we get married _because_ I'm pregnant or-"

"Why does it matter?"

"It informs the character!"

"Charac-You're playing _you_!"

"But, if we don't have our stories straight, somebody will figure it out."

"Oh yeah, because if I met two people who lied about why they got married, my _only_ logical conclusion would be that they're actually from the _future_!"

"Shh!"

"There's no one around."

"Your voice carries, and we know that there is a very good possibility that there are werewolves around that can hear you."

Stiles took a deep breath. "I married you because I love you."

"What?" It was Lydia's turn to be surprised.

Stiles chuckled. "The story. We didn't get married because you were pregnant, we got married because we're in love. The pregnancy was just a...side effect."

"A _side effect_?" Lydia gasped, and she looked pissed. "Is _that_ what you think of _our baby_?"

Stiles's eyes widened in confusion. "Wh-what?"

Lydia smirked. "Kidding." She snickered. "You should have seen your face." He shook his head and his stomach rumbled. "Wow!" Lydia said as she looked over. "That was loud."

"I'm starving. We haven't had a decent meal since Henry's party. And I couldn't even enjoy it. Poor puppy."

"Yeah, that kind of put a damper on the celebration." She sighed. "Okay, I was going to wait to tell you this, but I stole more than clothes while we were inside the school." She pulled a wad of cash out of her pocket.

Stiles smiled and reached into his jean pockets and pulled out a wad of cash as well. "Looks, like we're eating good tonight."

Lydia gave a worried smile. "We should probably save some. " She looked away. "We don't know how long we're going to be here."

Stiles nodded solemnly. "You're right." He sucked in a breath. "God, that's kind of terrifying. If we're stuck here..."

Lydia tilted her head. "Well, I guess the worse that could happen is that we live here for the next 16 years until we can get to Woodstock and steal the device from ourselves. On the plus side, according to Elbie, we're basically stuck in suspended animation, so we're not going to age."

Stiles shook his head. "No, we're going to figure it out. I don't want to be here longer than a week...maybe two. I'd prefer leaving tomorrow though..." He looked up and raised his voice. "Just throwing that out there!" He said, as if talking to the universe.

"Look." Lydia pointed to a diner across from the school. "That's not there now."

"No." Stiles agreed. "I wonder why. It would get tons of business being across from the school."

"Well, let's find out. Come on, Hubby."


	33. Chocolate Milkshake

_**10171953** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1156 hours** _

_**Tate's Diner** _

Stiles and Lydia walked into the diner holding hands. An older woman, probably in her mid-forties immediately greeted them.

"Hi folks! Welcome to Tate's Diner. First time here?"

"Yeah." Stiles told her.

"Well, you two look famished. Come sit over here." There weren't many people in the diner, but she sat them away from everybody. "Can I get you something to drink? We've got water, coffee, milkshakes-."

"Can I get a chocolate milkshake?" Stiles asked, eyes lighting up like a little kid.

"Sure thing. What about you, sweetheart?" She turned to Lydia.

"Just water for me. Thanks."

She nodded and handed them menus. "Take a look at these and I'll be right back with your drinks."

Lydia picked her menu up. "A _milkshake_? Are you kidding me?"

"I have been deprived of chocolate for several weeks now. Let me have my milkshake."

"I'm just saying, for someone who wanted to act like an adult, you sure have a funny way of showing it."

Stiles gave a frustrated sigh. "Fine. I'll cancel the milkshake."

"No, it's too late now. Besides...I want a milkshake too."

"If you wanted a milkshake, why didn't you order one yourself?"

"Because you ordered one, so I'll just drink yours and you can have some of my water."

Stiles groaned. "Fine."

"Here you go." The waitress came back with their drinks and set them on the table. "Do you know what you want to eat yet?"

"Everything sounds so good!" Stiles told her as he looked over the menu.

"Well, take your time-"

"I want the chicken friend steak." Lydia blurted. "With fries...and a side salad." She handed her menu over and she and the waitress both looked at Stiles expectantly, while he just stared, mouth slightly agape.

"Uh..okay... Um...I'll get the pot roast. With mashed potatoes and gravy. And macaroni and cheese. And can I also get a short stack of pancakes? And a side of eggs-scrambled with cheese."

"Oh!" Lydia piped up, "Can I also have a side of fried okra?"

"I wasn't done!" Stiles snapped playfully. "I also want chicken and dumplings."

"Oh! Make that two!"

"And bacon."

"Okay..."The waitress nodded to herself. "I guess you really are hungry."

"I haven't had a decent meal in weeks." Stiles blurted and Lydia kicked him under the table. "Ow!" He glared at her. "What I meant, is that we've been short on money, but recently came into a bit, so we decided to eat out tonight."

"Well, I hope you enjoy it. I'll get this all started for you. My name's Liza, if you need anything."

"Liza," Lydia started, "You wouldn't happen to have some extra pens and paper lying around that we can have, would you?"

"Sure, I'll be right back."

"Pen and paper?" Stiles asked after taking a long sip of his milkshake.

"To make a list of what we want to talk about."

"Oh, you were serious about that?"

"Of course I was. If we don't write it all down, we're going to forget something and I want to make sure we get it all off our chests."

"Here you go." Liza said as she handed Lydia two pens and a few sheets of paper.

"Thank you." Lydia handed Stiles a pen and piece of paper. He stared at it for a few moments, while Lydia immediately began writing things down.

Finally he sighed and began writing.

1) Us

2) The guy

3) Where do we stay?

Stiles was done writing, but then saw that Lydia was still scribbling things down onto her paper. Stiles looked back at his list wondering if he should add more, but realized everything he wanted to say fell under one of those topics. He figured Lydia must have been a lot more specific.

"Okay," Lydia finally said, "I'm done. How many items do you have?"

"Three." Stiles said slightly embarrassed. "What about you?"

Lydia glanced over her paper. "Eleven. Oh wait!" She said quickly then wrote something down. "Twelve."

Stiles nodded and pulled his list off the table. "How about we read off your list, and I'll just mention things as we go."

Lydia took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, I think first, we need to figure out where we're going to stay while we're stuck here."

Stiles nodded. "Well, we don't have a lot of money, so...no money, equals no hotel."

"True."

"So, maybe, we could stay with somebody."

"Like who?"

Stiles shrugged. "I mean, the Hale family is probably here. And if anybody is going to believe us it'll be a family of," he lowered his voice, "Werewolves."

"No," Lydia was shaking her head. "Absolutely not. Can you imagine what would happen if you somehow mentioned the fire?"

"Wait, me?"

"Of course it would be you. _I_  wouldn't say anything."

"Well, I wouldn't either." Lydia crossed her arms and cocked her head to side. He sighed, "Okay, so there's a small possibility that I would let something like that slip. On accident of course!"

"Oh, of course! You'd never screw up the timeline on purpose."

Stiles's eyes narrowed. "Are you trying to say that I messed something up on purpose?"

"No." Lydia said slowly. "I'm saying that you _wouldn't_ do it on purpose."

"Yeah, but," Stiles wagged his finger. "You're saying it sarcastically."

"I am not!"

Stiles sighed. "Fine." They each relaxed in their seats and Stiles drummed his fingers on the table. After a few moments of silence Stiles said, "I wonder if they have any openings here."

"Like, job openings? How long do you plan on us staying here, because I thought you wanted to leave tomorrow."

"I do, but we should also prepare for the worst."

"Okay," Liza said as she came back to the table. "I've got your salad and your chicken and dumplings."

"Thank you." Stiles said as he picked up a spoon, ready to dig in.

"You're welcome. I..Uh...I couldn't help over hearing that you need a place to stay?"

Stiles had dumplings halfway to his mouth when he stopped and looked up at Lydia. She had just taken a bite of her salad and she was chewing slowly. She began to nod and Stiles stuck the spoon in his mouth, forcing himself not to moan at the taste of real food.

"Yeah," Lydia finally said once she swallowed her food. "We just got married and decided to move. We just uh...didn't plan very well." She made the conscious effort to move her hand to her stomach, "We're a little short on money at the moment."

Liza looked on sympathetically. "Well, my brother used to own this diner, but he passed away about a month ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lydia said.

"Thank you." She smiled and looked up. "He actually lived in the apartment above the diner. He was always trying to help people, and...I just feel like if he were here right now, he'd do something for you two." She took a deep breath. "You can stay here, until you can get on your feet. I won't even make you pay if you help out around here. I'm always looking for extra cooks and waitresses."

Stiles finally swallowed his food and smiled warmly at Liza. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to us. This was all just so unexpected." He was speaking truthfully, but keeping to the story at the same time. Lydia nodded with a small smile, but Stiles saw tears in her eyes. "Lydia?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but let out a sob instead. She quickly covered her mouth. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. Stiles reached out and grabbed her hand in concern. At first he thought she was just acting for the cover story's sake, but he quickly realized that she wasn't and he wasn't sure if these were happy tears or not. "Um," she pulled her hand away from Stiles and stood up. "Do you have a bathroom in here?" Liza pointed, and Lydia quickly walked away.

"Is she okay?" Liza asked him. He immediately heard Braeden's voice.

" _Is she okay?"_

Then his response. _"Lydia can't get pregnant."_

He shook his head to get the thought away. It was like a memory, but a memory of something that had never happened, or at least hadn't happened yet.

"I'm going to check on her." He told Liza as he stood up.


	34. Why Aren't You Wearing a Shirt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****I AM RATING THIS CHAPTER "M." **** Things get a little racy at the end and while it doesn't go into a huge amount of detail, let me know if you think I should change the rating of this story all together.

_**10171953** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1222 Hours** _

_**Tate's Diner.** _

Lydia was sitting on the floor in the tiny, one-person bathroom. Tears streamed down her face and she wasn't even sure why.

There was a soft knock at the door and she heard Stiles. "Lydia? Are you okay?" She sniffled and reached up to unlock the door. He opened it slowly, careful not to hit her. "Hey," He said soothingly as he closed the door and locked it again, then sat down next to her on the ground. "What's going on?"

Lydia shook her head and rested it on his shoulder. "I have no idea. I just started crying, and I couldn't stop." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into him, then kissed the top of her head.

"Do you want to talk about it right now?" He asked after a moment of sitting in silence.

"No." She said with a frustrated growl. She sat up and wiped her eyes roughly. "I want to eat. I'm starving. We'll talk about it later."

Stiles nodded and stood up, then helped Lydia up as well.

"Everything alright?" Liza asked as she appeared back at the table with the rest of their food.

"Yes,"Lydia said. "Thank you."

They ate their food mostly in silence, but somewhere in the middle, Stiles reached across the table and held Lydia's hand for the rest of their meal.

Once they were finished, Stiles held both of Lydia's hands in his. They hadn't said anything, but Stiles only stared at their hands. It felt right to him. It had always felt right with her. Sure, it felt good with Malia, but it had always felt like something was missing. Because even though he liked Malia, he'd never stopped loving Lydia.

"So," He finally broke the silence. "We figured out where we're staying. What's next on the list?"

Lydia looked down at the list in front of her and looked back up. "Well, I'm worried."

"About what?" He asked, concern written all over his face.

"I think we messed everything up. And it all started when we got caught in the Captain's Quarters."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that because we got caught, we ended up in isolation for several days, and you got into a fight with somebody in first class. Because it took so long for us to get to the lifeboats, we got caught in a chase that resulted in us becoming hypothermic. So, when we jumped, we missed our meeting with Arnaud. We should have been able to save him without going to the lengths that we did. Then you got shot and Arnaud stuck around, and can I just say that he and Phoebe were getting pretty chummy?" Lydia sighed. "We were there _friends_ , Stiles, and I don't think that was supposed to happen. If we came across them now, they would probably remember us. Hell, Arnaud wanted to name his kid after you! Then because your stitches opened, we ended up leading Rhys to the doctor. And he shot him. I mean, we're not sure if he died or not, but either way, how much does that change things? Then, at Woodstock, you walked away to change your bandage, and I got drugged. And if that hadn't happened, we would have jumped before falling asleep, Tommy wouldn't have messed with the device, and that shit I was talking about earlier, wouldn't have happened. And we wouldn't be stuck here with no foreseeable way out...So... did we screw everything up?"

Stiles ran his thumb across the top of her hand. "I don't know. I've been wondering that too."

"Can I get you anything else?"

Stiles shook his head. "No, just the check is fine."

Liza threw her hand up. "It's on the house."

"What?" Stiles was mid-pulling out the cash when he stopped. "No, Liza, you've been too kind, please let me pay you for the meal."

"Nope. I won't take it." She motioned for them to follow her. "Come with me, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

She led the two teens out the back, and up a set of metal stairs. At the top was a door that opened up to a hallway.

"There are two apartments up here. The one on the left belonged to my brother, the one on the right was turned into an office several years back." Liza walked up to the door on the left and unlocked it. It was a studio apartment. There was a kitchen to the left and a living area to the right. A bathroom was ahead and to the right, and the bed sat across from it on the left side behind the kitchen.

"This is perfect." Lydia told her then turned to give her a hug. "Thank you so much."

Liza took the key off the ring and handed it to Stiles. "I want you both downstairs tomorrow at 7 am for your first shifts."

"Okay." Stiles smiled. Liza left and Stiles walked over to the bathroom and peeked inside. "Oh my God! It's an actual shower!"

"Dibs!" Lydia called and raced past him, slamming the door in his face.

"Well that was rude." He mumbled then collapsed onto the bed. He heard the shower start and he sighed. As he laid there his mind began to wander thinking about what Lydia had said about them messing up the timeline. He tried telling himself, 'how much could one friendship mean?' But then he remembered that Arnaud had Olivia, and under different circumstances, Arnaud would go back to Olivia once he went home. But, Lydia was right. Phoebe and Arnaud had chemistry and even if they never actually got together, how much would that change his and Olivia's relationship? How much had Lydia changed his and Malia's? "Shit." He groaned.

Stiles didn't realize he had dozed off until he woke up and the water was no longer running. He sat up and saw Lydia sitting at the table looking over her list. Her hair was still wet so she wasn't out of the shower for very long. She must have heard him move because she turned to face him.

"Nice of you to wake up."

"I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep. I guess it was because it's an actual bed- Something else I haven't seen in weeks." He stood up from the bed. "I'm going to take a shower now. When I get out, we can talk some more."

Stiles walked in to the bathroom and Lydia bit her thumbnail as she stared at the door. She was so in love with him that it hurt. She turned back to the list in front of her. She really needed to talk to him about what those flashes were and how they happened. And what about them as a couple? Would he even still want to be with her after seeing the possibility of what their life could be like? She got lost in her own thoughts before hearing the water shut off.

"Ugh! God...dammit!" She heard him yell. She looked back toward the door, and he walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Beads of water slid down his chest and his hair was dripping wet as well.

'Holy hell." Lydia said, breathless.

"What?" He asked as he turned to look at her.

"What?" She asked. "I didn't say anything." She panted...like actually panted. She hoped that Stiles hadn't noticed, but the look of amusement he was giving her said otherwise.

"My clothes got wet." He told her with a smirk. "Can you help me find something to wear?" Lydia nodded before her brain processed what he was asking. Luckily, her feet seemed to know what to do even though her brain didn't know. She walked over to the dresser and crouched down to look in the bottom drawer. "I'd look," he was saying, "But, I'm worried that the towel would fall off." He watched her cheeks turn pink "Sorry. " he said with a chuckle. "I'm not trying to be suggestive. I realize now, how that came across."

Lydia picked up a pair of pants out of the drawer and handed them to him, "It's fine." She didn't say it to his face, as much as she said it to his chest. They stood there as a tense moment passed between the two. Lydia finally walked away and toward the bed and Stiles and slipped the pants on and followed her. She sat on her knees near the foot of the bed and he faced her with his back to the pillows.

"So, what do we need to talk about now?" He asked.

She looked up and her breath hitched in her throat. "Um...well first off, can we talk about how you're not wearing a shirt?"

"Since when do you care if I wear a shirt?"

"Since we're trying to have a conversation and it's very distracting." Stiles shrugged. "Fine." She huffed and began unbuttoning her shirt. "You're not wearing a shirt, so I'm not going to wear a shirt."

Stiles shrugged again. "Okay." Lydia threw the shirt down. "What's the next thing you wanted to talk about?"

Lydia was still sitting on her knees while Stiles was sitting cross-legged in front of her, and leaning back on his hands. She was hyperaware of the water beading on his chest. "I want to talk about...God... why aren't you wearing a shirt?!"

Stiles chuckled, "Honestly? I like making you flustered."

"Oh yeah?" She asked before reached behind her back and unhooking her bra. Stiles's eyes widened. "Two can play at that game." He nearly lost his balance, but he pushed himself up and onto his knees too. Lydia pulled her bra off and chucked it onto the ground with her shirt. Stiles licked his lips slowly and grabbed her waist. They stared at each other for a moment before he swiftly threw her back onto the pillows behind him and hovered over her, his face inches from hers.

They were both breathing heavily. Stiles gave her a smirk before reaching down and running his fingers up her leg. Her breath caught in her throat and he leaned down to kiss her neck. His hand had passed her knee and was inching toward her thigh. Lydia placed her hands on his shoulders and flipped them over so that she was straddling him. She ran her hands from his shoulders, down his chest, and to his abs until they reached he edge of his pants.

Her hands were set to unbutton them, but he grabbed her wrists. She looked up and they locked eyes for a moment, before he rolled them back over. He was above her again, still holding her wrists and he lifted them over her head. He glanced over her, realizing the vulnerable position she was in, but recognizing at the same time that she had the power to break his skull with her voice if she wanted to.

It was like something had taken over him. Since when had he become so confident?

He looked back at her lips before crashing into them with his. She immediately opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to explore it. Stiles continued holding her wrists with one of his hands while he lowered the other hand to run his fingers up her inner thigh.

His mouth left hers and kissed down her neck until he reached one of her breasts. Again, confidence took over. It felt like he had been with Lydia like this a million times before. The thought that 'this was actually happening', never crossed his mind.

As his mouth engulfed her breast, his hand slipped inside her underwear and his fingers slipped inside of her.

Lydia eyes popped open and the sudden sensation and she bit her lip to stay quiet. Just like Stiles, there was this feeling that this wasn't the first time they had been in this situation together, and he definitely seemed to know his way around her body. He had moved his mouth to the other breast, and she could tell that she was close.

"Stiles!" She panted as she climaxed.

Stiles's ears perked up at hearing his name and both of them seemed to crash land back into reality.


	35. Whatever You Say

_**10171953** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1516 Hours** _

_**Tate's Apartment** _

"Oh my God." he said suddenly, realizing where his hand was and where his mouth had just been. Lydia was breathing heavily and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Stiles removed his hand, but was unsure of what to do with it, since his minor freak out had sort of ruined the mood. "I am so sorry." He said as he sat up, and put his feet on the floor.

"Don't be." she said breathless.

"I don't what came over me..."He stopped and looked down at his hand, his cheeks lighting up bright red. He swallowed. "That was a poor choice of words."

Lydia let out a breathy laugh and sat up. "Don't worry about it. That was..." Lydia laughed again.

"What?" He asked, feeling a large chunk of ego being chipped away.

"No!" Lydia quickly said, as she read his look. "It's just..." she giggled. "The first word that came to mind was... orgasmic." She started laughing again and Stiles joined in.

Stiles shook his head, and covered his face with the hand that had been holding her wrists. "I can't believe that just happened." He groaned in embarrassment.

Lydia smiled and thought for a moment. "Why did you stop?"

"Um..." He started, blushing. "You said my name...and it reminded me..." he looked at her, "Of something that we saw...When we were- I'm sorry, can you please put your shirt back on?"

"Seriously? You're going to insist on a shirt _now_?"

"It's distracting." He blushed harder and looked away.

"Unbelievable." She said jokingly as she reached down to pick her shirt up off the ground. "I asked you to put on a shirt _twice_ and _you_ didn't do it!"

"And you're welcome." He thought he said it in his head until he saw Lydia's eyes widen and her mouth drop open in disbelief. Stiles widened his eyes too. "Um... I'm sorry." He blinked a couple of times. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

Lydia smirked and shrugged. "Well, I know what got into me."

"Okay then, " Stiles said quickly, standing up, "I'm going to go wash my hands, and when I get back, there will be no more innuendo. Or talking about what just happened."

"We'll see about that."

He grabbed a shirt on the way to the bathroom and Lydia buttoned her shirt up while he was in there. When he emerged, she was slightly disappointed to see that his shirt was on. He walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge again.

"Okay," he began. "So, I was thinking...in all seriousness, we should talk about why we saw what we saw. And to clarify, I don't mean _what_ we saw."

"Yeah..." Lydia began, slowly " _T_ _hat_ clarified things." she said sarcastically.

Stiles sighed. "I mean, those...scenes...of us...I don't want to talk about what we saw specifically...I just want to know...what were they?"

Lydia gulped and looked at her hands. "I think they were the future."

"Right, but what future?" Lydia looked up with a confused expression.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...okay...some of those scenes seemed really familiar...like...I had dreams about them."

Lydia nodded. "Yeah, me too."

"So, my theory is that the dreams came from memories. When we went to the future and met Elbie, we went to a future where we weren't around anymore. I think time is trying catch us up... to like..replace our future selves with _us_."

Lydia's eyebrow was raised. "Part of me is totally right there with you...the other part of me has no idea what the hell you're talking about."

Stiles gave a frustrated sigh. "I don't know how else to explain it. Basically, I don't think what we saw is our future. I think it's our future selves' past."

"Honestly? That made even less sense."

"What I mean, "he began again as he took a deep a breath. "Is that maybe _future you_ experienced all of that, but what if we change everything like we're supposed to? Won't some of those things not happen?"

Lydia raised her eyebrows as she thought about what he was saying. "Yeah, I guess it's possible." She bit her lip and sadly added, "I just don't know how probable it is."

"Well," He started, "Personally, there are a few things that I don't want to happen if you catch my drift." Lydia nodded. "Also," he continued, "Didn't it feel like those flashes were going to like...float away?"

"I noticed that," Lydia began. "I couldn't think of how to describe it, but yeah...'floating away' is good."

"Well, maybe it felt like that because the future isn't set in stone?"

Lydia shrugged. "It's a good theory."

"But you still don't believe it?"

"I believe that if everything goes back to way it was supposed to be, then some things will change. It's just...I just keep thinking about what Janus said about us not succeeding."

"Yeah, but he and Apollo were going to try to come up with something to make it stick, right? Hey, do you think maybe that's why things got messed up?"

"No, I think that was just our terrible luck."Stiles shrugged, and they both got quiet for some time. Lydia replayed their conversation from the past few minutes and realized something that Stiles had said before, "Wait, what were you talking about time replacing us?"

Stiles looked confused for a moment before sighing. "I just meant that those memories or dreams came from our future selves. They come on at random times. Like people will say things, and then I remember similar things happening... but they're things that haven't happened before. Or like-" he stopped talking and looked like he was thinking about something.

"What?"

"Maybe that's what happened..."

"When?" She asked. Stiles just gave her a look that said ' You _know_.'"Oh, are we talking about that? Because you're the one who said a few minutes ago that we weren't going to."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know..." He took a breath. "I'm just thinking...it's obvious that we're together in the future...or at least this future...so-"

Lydia thought about what Stiles was saying. "So, maybe that's why you knew what to do."

"Yeah...wait...what?"

Lydia sighed, "No, I just meant... it was like you _knew_ me. Like, things I would normally have to tell guys to do.."

Stiles shrugged. "Maybe, I'm just that good?"

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Or maybe, you remembered the future?"

Stiles creased his forehead, partially in confusion, and partially in thought. "Huh..."

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just, I never thought that I'd live in a world where the sentence 'maybe you remembered the future' would actually make sense ."

Lydia hit him playfully.

Stiles smiled and looked down at this feet, then looked up at the backpack sitting on the kitchen table.

"What's wrong?" She asked him.

He scoffed. "Do you really want me to answer that?" He looked back at her and she smiled sadly at him. She reached her hand out to grab his.

"You're thinking about what we saw?"

He nodded. "I don't want to. Because I know it's all going to be different."

"You _hope_ it's different."

"It _will_ be. It _has_ to be."

"I like your optimism."

He chuckled lightly. "What I don't get is how we ended up bouncing around like that."

Lydia shrugged. "Elbie mentioned something about setting a timer on the device, and we decided not to use it though, remember?"

"Vaguely."

"Well, maybe that's what Tommy did. Who knows how long he was messing with that thing before we found him."

"That's a very scary thought. Which begs the question, was it the flash mob of the future that killed the device, or something else he did? Like, did he also activate some sort of self-destruct button too?"

Lydia shook her head. "There was no self-destruct button."

"Yeah, but there could have been."

"Okay, Stiles." Lydia patted his shoulder. "Whatever you say."


	36. In That Moment, Everything Was Perfect

_**10301953** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1646 Hours** _

_**Tate's Diner** _

Tate's Diner was everything you could want in a 50's soda shoppe. From the long bar, down to the jukebox in the corner.

"Order up!" Stiles called.

Lydia came over and grabbed the food that he had just pushed out, then he looked up at the clock. They had 14 minutes left of their shift. The other cook was already there waiting for Stiles to move out of the way, so Stiles let him have the spot while he cleaned up the kitchen area a little.

He finished getting everything in order and walked out of the kitchen, and Lydia met him next to the side door.

"Hey," she started. "We just got a rush, so I'm going to stay to help them out."

"Alright, well there's only space for one of us back there, so I'm going to head on up."

Lydia nodded. "Okay, I'll see you upstairs later." He gave her a chaste kiss and walked out the back and up the stairs to the apartment. When he walked inside, he registered what he did.

It had been almost two weeks since they had ended up in 1953 and little moments like that had continued to happen. It was like their future selves took over and chaste kisses or intimate touches felt completely routine, like it was something they were _supposed_ to do. Not like it was undefined territory, like it _actually_ was. They had gotten used to those moments happening and they easily blamed it on their weird time situation.

Stiles sat down at the kitchen table. He sighed and put his head in his hands. He didn't want to have to _blame_ it on anything. He wanted it to be normal. They needed to talk about _them_ , Stiles decided, and when would be a better time than when they were stuck in an unfamiliar time period with no foreseeable way out?

He wasn't sure how they had been able to avoid that talk the past couple of weeks. It had been number one on his list. Maybe she had been just as nervous to bring it up for fear that they would want different things, just like Stiles.

He stood up from the table and went to the closet.

Since Liza had comped their meal their first day there, they had used the money they had stolen to get clothes. Stiles had hoped they wouldn't be here that long, but they had spent several days trying to fix the device to no avail. Lydia thought she may have found out that there was a part that needed replacing. Unfortunately, she remembered from the reading that there was no way for the part to even exist until 2019.

After that, she had decided to take a break from trying to fix it and planned on coming back to it later. Secretly, they were hoping that Janus or Apollo would somehow intervene and help them get back onto the right course (sometime before 1969 rolled around, preferably).

He changed clothes because he smelled like old bacon, then he walked into the kitchen and began making dinner. Lydia opened the door about 45 minutes later.

"I'm making spaghetti for dinner." Stiles told her without looking up.

"Okay." She said quietly. Stiles looked up at her finally and saw the look on her face. He turned the burner off and moved the pot over to let it cool and stop boiling, then took a few steps toward her. Just like him, the first thing she had done was sit down at the table.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Let's just eat, and I'll tell you later." Stiles filed that away to remind himself about it at another time, and went back to the stove to make their plates.

He placed hers in front of her and sat down across from her with his.

They began to eat and Stiles had to give himself an internal pep talk in order to bring up what he had been meaning to talk to her about for quite some time.

"So," he finally said. They were both almost finished with their food by then. "I've been wanting to talk to you about what happened when I was dying."

Lydia's eyes widened for a moment, and she nearly dropped her fork. "Oh..."

"Yeah..." Stiles took a deep breath. "I mean... we said things...to each other...and we kissed...like, a lot...and we never talked about what it meant."

"To be honest, I thought we were going to wait to talk about it until all of this was over."

Stiles shrugged, "I thought about that too, but now I don't know when that's going to happen and I can't be here, pretending to be one thing in front of Liza, when I have no idea what we are when she's not there."

Lydia sighed. "What do you want me to say, Stiles?"

Stiles was slightly taken aback, "I want you to tell me..." He took another deep breath and held it. "Do you still love me? Or was that something you said in the heat of the moment?"

"What?" It was Lydia's turn to be taken aback. "Yes, I love you...I'm... I'm _in_ love with you, Stiles."

He let out the breath he was holding. "I'm in love with you too." He told her with a small smile.

"Good." She said and went back to her food.

"So, what are we going to do about it?" He sounded determined.

She looked up at him. "I don't know."

"Well, when we saw those flashes of the future, we were together. We were married. Is that something you want?"

Lydia bit her lip and nodded as tears sprung to her eyes. "But why would you want _me_?"

"What?"

"You asked me what was wrong earlier. My last table was a family with two small kids, and they were the cutest family I've ever seen. The kids had blonde hair like their mom and brown eyes that looked like their dad's. I just got upset because that'll never be us. Yes, we were together, but that little girl wasn't ours. At least not biologically- it didn't take a genius to figure that out. You saw that flash just like me. I can't have kids."

"Lyds, we talked about this. That could change when we save everyone."

"But what if it doesn't? What if that's something that's fated to happen over and over again. Whether it's because Kira dies, or because of some supernatural malady. What if I can never get pregnant?"

"Then we'll be the best aunt and uncle Scott's kids could ever ask for. All of the fun and none of the responsibility." Lydia looked at him with wide eyes and watery smile. He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Lydia, I've loved you since the third grade. I don't care if we have kids or not. All I care is that you're the first face I see when I wake up every morning. I've gotten pretty used to it recently, and I don't think I could give that up."

Lydia had tears streaming down her cheeks when she stood up, still holding his hand and walked toward him. She dropped his hand when she sat sideways onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, deeply and passionately. Stiles wrapped his arms around her back, one hand slowly sliding down before resting on her leg.

Stiles pulled away after a moment to catch his breath, and asked with a quirked eyebrow, "Did we just get engaged?"

Lydia chuckled and hit his chest. "As wonderful as that would be, I would like to date you for awhile before I commit to marriage."

"So, then did you want to be my girlfriend?" She responded by kissing him again. When she pulled away, his eyes were half closed when he asked, "Was that a yes or a no?" She giggled and stood up, grabbing his hand again and pulling him up. "Wait, what about dinner?"

"Do you want to eat spaghetti, or do you want to make out with your girlfriend?"

"I definitely want to make out with my girlfriend." He said quickly as he stood up.

Making out had turned into more...a lot more.

Lydia was curled up against Stiles, her back to his chest. He held her with his left arm draped around her waist. Her hair was sticking to her shoulders with sweat, and Stiles used his right hand to pull her hair out of the way, so that his lips could reach her neck. In that moment, everything was perfect.

She gave a tiny giggle and pulled his left arm tighter against her. "That feels amazing." She moaned sleepily.

"Did you want to finish eating?"

She made a noise that sound like "Nuh uh", then said, "Too tired. You wore me out."

Stiles smiled proudly to himself. In retrospect, he _had_ been used to having to keep up with a werecoyote, so that could explain it.

He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep until he was waking up to someone knocking on the door. He was still holding Lydia and she was still asleep.

There was more knocking. "Give me a second." He tried to say loud enough for whoever was on the other side of the door to hear. It ended up coming out scratchy and rough. He carefully untangled himself from the banshee and looked around on the floor for his pants. He ended up finding them on Lydia's side.

They were knocking again as he tried to pull his pants up.

"I'm coming!" He said, a little clearer this time.

" What's happening?" Lydia mumbled groggily.

"Nothing," Stiles told her. "Someone's knocking on the door. Just go back to sleep."

She nodded and was out again a few seconds later. He didn't even bother putting on his shirt as he tried to make his legs work to get over to the door.

He finally grabbed onto the door knob and swung it open. "Wha-" He started to ask, but stopped suddenly.

She looked like she was looking at ghost, and for all intents and purposes, she was.

"S-S-Stiles?" Tears were brimming her eyes as she looked at the boy in front of her.

Stiles looked at the woman in his doorway, then back to the girl in his bed, then back to the woman at the door.

"Lydia?"


	37. Keep Me Occupied

_**10311953** _

_**Beacon Hill's, Ca.** _

_**0003 Hours** _

_**Tate's Apartment** _

Stiles stared at the woman in front of him. It was definitely Lydia, but she was older. A few gray hairs mixed with her strawberry blonde locks, her skin was slightly saggier, and she just looked beaten down in general. After what he had seen and heard about, he could understand.

Stiles looked back again at the banshee in the bed to make sure she was asleep and walked into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"You're not wearing a shirt." She said in realization when he stepped out.

"Yeah, I'm...trying something new."

She smiled. "Good for you." Her eyes lingered on the, now healed, bullet wound, but she never asked him about it.

"I'm sorry... I'm slightly confused. What are you doing here? How did you get here? Am I dreaming?" He held his hands out in front of him to count his fingers, but Lydia grabbed them and put them down.

"Maybe it's best if you're not sure." She didn't immediately pull her hands away from his, and only stared at them.

"Are you okay?" He asked her.

She took her hands off of his and replied, "I'm fine."

He scoffed lightly. "You're a terrible liar."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not. You just know me too well." She looked down at her feet, and Stiles took a deep breath and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Look, I...I know what happened. To me." He clarified. Lydia looked up at him with a gaze mixed with shock and sadness. "I'd had an idea about what happened from this memory that kept popping up in White Chapel, but this guy at Woodstock messed with the device and sent us on a trip through time, so I kind of got to see it first hand." Her lip began to tremble, and she gasped back a sob and shook her head.

She couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arms around him. It was something she'd never thought she would able to do again. It took him a moment to register, but he held her tightly, realizing this was something she needed.

"I didn't know." She said as she pulled away after several minutes. "I...I had no idea. And I couldn't stop it." She paused for a moment as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "When death happens in a displaced time, I can't sense it." She looked toward the door. "She's probably experienced that already." Stiles nodded. They were quiet for a moment before Lydia got a confused look on her face. "Wait, what did you say about memories?"

"Oh...that...We've both been having dreams and thoughts that come on randomly. We originally just thought they were legitimate dreams, but then _shit_ happened," He used Lydia's terminology, "And we saw that our dreams were real."

Lydia nodded, taking in the new facts. "That makes sense...What was your memory about? When you...you know."

Stiles thought about it. He had purposely pushed it far out of his mind, but recalling came easier than he would have liked. "It was strange. I could feel the dagger and I couldn't move. Around me, I wasn't at home I was somewhere else. At the time I didn't know, but it was Mary Kelly's place. I saw you die. It was like an alternate version of what could have happened when we tried to save her. The memory ended up saving your life...well, her life." She gave him a small smile and he took a deep breath. "I remember thinking that I wasn't ready to go. That there was so much I was going to miss out on and that I wouldn't be there for you or Elbie-"Stiles stopped suddenly. "Oh my God!"

"What?"

" _Elbie_ was the little girl in the flashes! I mean, I said her name in this dream I had, but at the time I thought it was _just_ a dream. I had forgotten about it until just now."

Lydia pursed her lips and nodded slowly. "You were a great dad." She smiled softly and shrugged. "I could have been a bit better in the mom department."

He shook his head, "I don't believe that."

"You always had more faith in me that I had in myself. She was only three when you...when it happened." Stiles thought back to the article they read about Thomas Jackson killing a three-year old in the drunk driving accident. He remembered how upset he got. Now, he realized that maybe that was because in his future self's last memory, he had a three year-old little girl just like the one in the article. "The truth was," Lydia continued, "I couldn't do it without you. I went through this post adoption depression when we got her, and I never really came out of it. I tried to do it after you were gone. For years I tried, but it got to be too much."

"You sent her to England?" He began putting the pieces together.

She nodded and scoffed, but smiled. "And she came back with that God-awful accent."

Stiles processed everything, and thought about their time with Elbie. "She called you _Lydia_."

She gave a tiny shrug. "'Mom' just never felt right to me. She'll use it at home and when we're by ourselves, but at the lab, it's strictly 'Lydia'. I don't like people asking too many questions about our personal lives. And no one puts two and two together because I use Martin professionally, and she still uses Stilinski."

Stiles smiled proudly. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah." They got quiet again and Stiles was the one who broke the silence this time.

"I'm sorry, you never answered my questions. What are you doing here? And again, how did you get here?"

Lydia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small metal piece. "The answer to both your questions is this."

"What is that?"

"It's a very simple yet very important piece to the...you just call it 'the device'?" Stiles nodded. "That works." She said with a small shrug. "It's the reason that you're stuck here. I came to replace it."

"Where did you get it?" He asked.

For the first time, he realized that she was wearing a canvas bag across her body. She reached inside and pulled out an almost identical machine to the one they were using. "From mine."

"But if you replace it, then won't you be stuck here?"

She shrugged. "Hopefully not for long."

"Do you mind passing on some of your optimism to that one in there." He stuck a thumb in the direction of the door. Lydia smiled sadly. It got quiet once again, before Stiles realized something else, "Wait...how did you know where to find us? And weren't you like...missing?"

Lydia sighed. "I believe we have some mutual friends, Apollo and Janus?"

Stiles's eyes widened. "What?!"

"They stopped me before I could save Aeliana. They told me there was no way that I could do it by myself. They said it had to be both of us for it to even work." She shrugged. "They still won't tell me why. They almost wouldn't let me come here, but I'm the only one that can fix it, and I really wanted to see you again. So, I said 'screw it! You're not going to remember any of this anyway.'" She laughed.

Stiles joined in for a moment, but suddenly stopped laughing. "Oh shit."

"What?"

"We're not going to remember any of this."

"No...didn't Elbie tell you?"

"She did. _Plenty_ of times, but that was so long ago. So much has happened..." he looked back toward the door and Lydia creased her forehead as she was realizing something.

"Are we together? Or.. I mean...are _you two_ together?"

"Uh..." He felt his cheeks heat up. "You could say that."

"Oh my God! Did we sleep together?"

He scratched his neck, and bit his lip. "Yes and no." Lydia raised an eyebrow. Pointing at the door, he said, "I slept with _her_ and although you _are_ her, she... is _not_ you."

"Right..." She said slowly. Silence settled over them again before Lydia sighed, held up the metal piece again and said, "Where is it?"

Stiles opened the door and Lydia went in, taking in her surroundings. He walked over to the table and motioned to the device "Here it is."

"Stiles?" A muffled voice came from the bed.

Stiles and older Lydia looked exchanged looks. "Keep me occupied." Stiles raised an eyebrow. "And by _me_ , I mean _her_."

"What's going on?"

"Give me a sec, Lyds." He turned back to the older banshee and whispered. "How occupied do you want me to keep her?" His eyebrow raised slightly suggestively.

Of course... He _was_ still a teenage boy, so sex _would_ be on his mind. Lydia sighed and whispered back, "I don't know what will happen if we see each other, so...yes...if you have to...it's nothing I haven't seen or heard before...you know...when it was _me_."

Stiles nodded, feeling slightly weirded out by having two Lydia's in the same room. He climbed back into bed and the younger banshee curled against him, laying her head on his chest.

"What's going on?" She asked again, sleepily.

"Uh...Apollo and Janus sent someone to fix the device so we can get out of here."

"Oh...That's good." She sighed. "I'm going to miss, Liza. She's really nice."

"She is. We'll make sure to say goodbye to her before we leave."

"Good." Silence settled over them and Stiles felt himself begin to drift off to sleep. "Stiles?" He faintly heard her say behind the fog of sleep that was overcoming him.

"Mmmhmm?"

"I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too, Lyds." It wasn't until he woke up the next day that he realized he wasn't sure which Lydia he had been talking to.


	38. The View From Here is Incredibly Beautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: When I posted this chapter on Fanfiction.net, the title was two characters too long, so it was shortened to _Incredibly Beautiful_.

**_10311953_ **

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

**_1918 Hours_ **

**_Beacon Hills Fall Festival_ **

"Go enjoy the festivities." Liza told Lydia and Stiles. The two exchanged looks and Liza waved them off. "Go on! I think we can handle it for a little while by ourselves."

Lydia smiled, Stiles grabbed her hand, and the two walked away from the booth. Lydia was in a poodle skirt, her hair tied back with a ribbon, and she wore a nice pair of saddle oxfords. Stiles was in a pair of khakis and a sweater vest, but only because Lydia had vetoed the leather jacket, a la Danny Zuko.

" _I'm not going to the fall festival with a T-Bird."_ She had said.

They had forgotten about the fall festival and that Tate's Diner was providing food, until they went to say their goodbyes to Liza.

" _I'm so happy that you found a place of your own. I'm just sad that it's not in Beacon Hills." The diner owner told them._

" _We are too." Lydia said._

" _When do you leave?"_

" _Tonight." Stiles replied._

" _Oh! But it's Halloween! you're going to stay for the fall festival, right? I can't do it without you two!"_

" _Of course!" Lydia said quickly as Stiles mentally slammed his head against the wall. "We're leaving_ right after _."_

This was the first year Beacon Hills had thrown any sort of fall festival, and from what Stiles remembered about local history, it had also been the last. He wondered if mysterious animal attacks had something to do with it.

The diner closed early that day in order to set up for the festival. Luckily, they didn't have far to go because it was taking place at the school across the street. Lydia and Stiles knew the grassy area as where the lacrosse field would later go, but for now it was just an open field.

"I'm kind of going to miss this time period." Lydia told Stiles as they walked further away from the booth.

"Me too." He sighed. "But, I mean... It's not like we're going to remember anything anyway."

When they woke up that morning, Stiles explained to Lydia that her future self had stopped by to fix the device. She had left a note for them that said _If anyone can defy the odds, it's us!_ Stiles understood immediately that she was referring to the imminent amnesia that was bound to happen once they returned to their own time. He reminded the younger banshee of this phenomenon, but added of her future self, "S _he seems to think that we can make it work."_

Lydia had seemed sad at first, but after taking a shower, she had a new outlook.

" _The way I see it, we don't know what's going to happen, so let's just live in the moment and not worry about what we're going to remember or not when we get back."_

"Hey!" She scolded his pessimistic attitude, "None, of that!"

"Sorry." He told her, and let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders. He pulled her to him and kissed her temple.

"So," she said, after a moment. "Is this like...our first date?"

Stiles looked around. "Did you want it to be?"

"I think it's perfect." She smiled up at him, and she saw the wheels begin to spin behind his eyes. "What?"

"I was just thinking, if this is a date, there's no fair-type date complete without a ride on the Ferris wheel." Lydia rolled her eyes, but allowed herself to be led to the large wheel. They climbed into a basket and began going up.

"Okay," Lydia conceded. " _Now_ it's perfect." Stiles gave a crooked smile toward her and she leaned over to kiss him. "You know..." She began with a sigh. "On the one hand, I'm kind of glad we're leaving."

"Oh yeah, why's that?" He asked.

"Well, I was beginning to wonder how I was going to fake a pregnancy _and_ a baby. Liza is always asking me about it. We definitely didn't think that one through."

"Well, we could have made one...or at least had a lot of fun trying." He smirked.

Lydia elbowed him and chuckled. "You're a dork."

"But you love me." He grinned cheekily as he put his arm around her again.

Lydia couldn't stop the smile spreading on her face. "Yeah... I do."

Their ride came to halt at the top and they looked out over Beacon Hills.

"This town really is pretty." Stiles was in awe. He looked over at his girlfriend sitting next to him. "And the view from here is incredibly beautiful."

Lydia was about to nod in agreement when she turned to see the way he was looking at her. She realized he was talking about her, and she felt her cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink as she smiled and looked away. "That was sweet." She said almost timidly.

"I can't believe I made Lydia Martin blush!" Lydia shook her head and laid it against Stiles's shoulder and he chuckled at her. After a few minutes, the wheel began moving again. They finally reached the bottom and stepped off. Stiles grabbed Lydia' hand and he led her to the cotton candy where he got two cones.

They began walking again as they ate their cotton candy and Stiles heard her sigh deeply.

"What?" He asked.

"I just... while you were helping Joseph grab the food, Liza told me that before we showed up, two weeks ago, she was going to close the diner. She didn't have enough people to work and she didn't have enough money to pay people to work. She was going to have to tell them that they couldn't supply the food for tonight. But we came along, and helped out for free in exchange for a place to stay. We turned it around for her. And while that makes me feel amazing, it also scares me to death, because... what else have we fucked up?"

"Lydia!" He scolded, "There are children around!" She rolled her eyes and he sighed. "But... how could saving a diner be bad?"

"It's not necessarily _bad_ , it's just not necessarily _good_." Stiles gave her a confused look. "I mean, for example, let's say, in the original timeline, Joe lost his job. He becomes unemployed, maybe he can't find another job. He gets sick, can't pay for medical bills, he dies before he and his wife can have kids. _Now,_ he keeps his job, he ends up inheriting the diner when Liza dies. He and his wife have three kids who also have kids who end up in our grade. One of those kids decides they want to go hiking in the woods in the middle of the night. They get bit instead of Scott. And what if _that_ guy is just a really crappy werewolf?"

Stiles chuckled. "I see what you're saying...I think you're being a little over-dramatic, but I get it."

"Over-dramatic?!"

"Okay, maybe that's not the word I was looking for."

They were silent for a moment, when Lydia said, "So, there's still one thing we haven't talked about yet that was on my list."

"And what's that?"

Lydia took a deep breath. "When we saw that last flash..." She felt Stiles freeze next to her. "I couldn't look at it...but I looked up at you. You had this look of recognition on your face."

"I did?" He asked. She nodded. He took a deep breath. "That guy," He said after a moment's hesitation. "I knew him."

"How?"

"He's the guy who ran into me on _The Titanic_ , probably the one who killed the Danboms and convinced the Allisons that he was going to find their son, and I'm pretty sure he's the guy who shot me too."

Lydia nodded as she took in the new information. "Oh...I guess that makes sense. I mean... future me made up this list of everything that had to change in order for our lives to be different. He must have been there in every scenario, we were just missing him."

"Yeah...so what happens if we catch up to him, or he catches up to us?"

"I don't know." She answered honestly. "Hopefully we won't have to worry about that."

They were broken out of their thoughts by a howl, and both looked down at the little boy in the werewolf costume who was grinning up at them.

"Hey, buddy." Stiles said and looked around for an adult. "Where are you parents?"

"Frankie!" A girl called. A teenager ran over to the little boy and grabbed his hand. "Good heavens! You scared me! If I lost you, mom and dad would never trust me again!"

"Sorry, Rainey."

Lydia cocked her head at the girl in front of her.

She looked up at the new couple and apologized before walking off.

"He was cute." Stiles said and turned back to Lydia. There was an unreadable expression on her face. "What?"

"Um...I'm pretty sure that was my grandmother and her brother."

"Oh my God!" Stiles exclaimed, looking back and forth from Lydia to the girl.

"Yeah... my thoughts exactly."

"So...that was probably another _not necessarily good_ thing to happen, huh?"


	39. Trust Me

**_10311953_ **

**_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _ **

**_**2213 Hours** _ **

**_**Tate's Apartment** _ **

"Well, that was fun." Lydia said as she walked into the apartment.

"Yeah," Stiles agreed as he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. "It was." She smiled up at him and Stiles leaned down to kiss her lips slowly. "You know," he said as he pulled away. "I'm really glad this isn't weird like it was when-"

"Shhh..." she hushed him with a finger over his lips, then kissed him again before pulling him toward the bed.

Stiles woke up in the middle of the night to find the bed next to him was cold, but he could hear noises coming from the kitchen.

"Lydia?" He called as he sat up.

"Yeah." She sighed. "It's me. When the future me replaced that part, it reset the device, so I'm trying to figure out how to input the coordinates again."

He wrapped a blanket around his waist as he got up and saw that Lydia was wearing the shirt he had on earlier. The sight made his heart flutter.

"Is it complicated?" He asked as he walked over to the table.

"It shouldn't be." She set the device down forcefully in frustration.

"Hey," he began as he put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed them. "Calm down. You'll figure it out."

"Oh! And question...where did you find the list?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you went back to the van to get the bag from Larry...Where was the list?"

"Uhh...acting as a coaster for one of their drinks." She nodded. "Why?"

"Because," She held up the list, that had obviously gotten wet and faded several of the numbers on there. "Well... I think you can see."

"Have I mentioned how much I hate that guy?"

"You and me both."

He took a deep breath and turned his attention back to the device. "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Just, trust me. I have an idea on how to figure out the coordinate situation." Lydia sighed and did as she was told. "Okay, now take a deep breath, try to clear your mind. Focus on my voice. Now, try to remember before future you jumped. You were in the lab. Elbie was there with you. You were putting the coordinates in. How were you doing it?"

Lydia imagined everything Stiles was telling her, a memory...a flash...crept into the back of her mind.

" _Are you sure about this?" Elbie asked._

" _Am I sure about what? Am I sure that the coordinates and times I researched are right? 90%. Am I sure that succeeding will fix everything? 75%. Am I sure that I'm willing to risk my life for that 75%? 100%. If I can bring them back, I have to try."_

" _Why can't I go with you?"_

" _Because it's dangerous."_

" _Which is exactly why you need me!"_

" _Elbie!" Lydia yelled sharply. "Stop arguing with me on this. If anything happened to you I would never forgive myself. And if this doesn't work, and I end up back here and nothing has changed, I'm going to need you."_

" _But_ I _need_ you _." Tears brimmed her eyes. "What if something happens to you and you don't come back?"_

" _Then you'll figure something out. You are your father's daughter. You always figure it out. " Elbie smiled half-heartedly. "Hey, I love you. You know that, right?" Elbie nodded. "Come here." Lydia hugged the girl tightly, and Elbie held onto the banshee as if her life depended on it._

_They pulled away from each other and Elbie sniffed. "Be careful."_

" _I will be."_

Lydia opened her eyes.

"You did it," Stiles said proudly. "You found it."

Lydia smiled and began to punch the coordinates. There were a few faded numbers from where the paper had gotten wet and she tried to make them out the best she could. From what she could tell, they only had two more jumps to make. "Wait," Lydia said suddenly, her smile fading. "I don't have _our_ numbers."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, the date and time and coordinates that we came from. Elbie put that in for us, but she never told us what they were."

"Okay..." Stiles said slowly. "No, need to panic. We'll figure it out later. Let's just get out of here now." Lydia looked at him and smirked. "What?"

"Now? _Right_ now? You're gonna go just like that?" Stiles looked down and realized he only had the blanket wrapped around him.

"Uhhh..." He blushed slightly. "No.. no, that's...probably not a good idea."

The two of them got dressed and repacked the bag. Even though these clothes were from the 50's, they could make them work if they needed to.

"Ready?" Lydia asked as she held the device in her hands. Stiles nodded and grabbed the device and threw the bag over his shoulder.

**_**03041977** _ **

**_**Fairvale, Ca.** _ **

**_**2332 Hours** _ **

**_**House Party** _ **

When their feet hit the ground they opened their eyes. First off, they were surprised by the amount of people sitting around the room they had just landed in.

Secondly, they were surprised by how little clothing everyone was wearing.

"Uh," Lydia started, leaning over to Stiles. "I'm beginning to think that you actually would have fit in better with the sheet."

"What is this?" Stiles asked as he stared wide-eyed in confusion. Lydia surveyed the scene in front of her. Everyone was with at least one other scantily clad (if clad at all) person. Some were sitting on laps, others had their hands and...other body parts... in some very intimate places of their partners' bodies.

"I think we're in an orgy." Lydia finally stated the obvious.

"Well, what do we do?" Stiles asked, his voice rising an octave.

"Well," Lydia pulled her shirt over her head, and began to unbutton Stiles's. "First rule of time travel..." She pushed the shirt off of him, the bag dropping to the ground in the process. "Blend in." She grabbed the waistband of his jeans with her left hand and pulled him toward her, while she wrapped her right arm around his neck and brought him closer so that her lips could reach his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While it's alluded to them having sex when they returned from the Fall Festival; I just want to make it clear that they did _not_ have sex at the end of the chapter. They're not _completely_ sex-crazed. Unless you want them to be...and in that case...they totally did. I just wanted to put that out there though, because as I neared the end of this story, I felt like I was making a lot of comments that made it seem like they were just going at it like bunnies and that's not the case... in my head at least.


	40. That's Got to Count for Something

_**03051977** _

**_Fairvale, Ca._ **

_**0121 Hours** _

_**House Party** _

Alexander Argent. That's who they were supposed to save. Allison had told them about him when her father clued her in after their night at the _Glen Capri_. He was her great uncle that died when he committed suicide at the infamous motel after he was bitten by an alpha. Deucalion. The way they saw it, they would have to either A) prevent him from getting bitten or B) stop him from killing himself. They didn't really think they had a chance at convincing a bitten hunter to not end his life, and Lydia really didn't want to have to end up at the _Glen Capri_ again. One night was enough. So, their plan was to stop him from getting bitten, and to do that, they needed to keep a very close eye on him.

Which is why, when he was about to leave, Stiles quickly introduced him to a naked blonde named Amy. They seemed to be hitting it off.

Lydia had walked away for a moment, to get something to drink and came back angry. She stood in front of Stiles, her back to him, and grabbed his hands and put them around her, and onto her breasts.

"Uh...what are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm making sure that nobody else is going to try to touch my boobs." They had both stripped down to nothing but their underwear, but Stiles didn't feel self-conscious when he saw some extremely overweight men without their shirts, and he knew that he looked better than that. "Just because they're visible, does _not_ mean I want strangers grabbing them."

Stiles nodded. "Okay then."

Time had gone by and Lydia was beginning to get bored just watching Alexander and Amy feel each other up. Suddenly, she realized that air was now hitting her chest, and she looked down to see that Stiles's hand were no longer there.

"Wait! Stiles!" She called as she saw him walking away. "Don't you dare take your hands off of me!" She crossed her arms in front of her. "Stiles!"

Alexander had walked away from Amy, and looked to be headed toward the closet where everyone's clothes had ended up.

"Hey, buddy! Where are you going?" Stiles asked as he reached the man.

"I'm gonna leave. It's getting late."

"You know," He said slapping Alexander on the back. "That's a great idea. I'll go grab my girlfriend, and then we can all get out of here."

"Uh..." Alexander looked a little unsure. "Look, man...I only come here for the girls... three-ways...with two guys? I'm not into that."

"What?" Stiles's eyes widened. As he thought about what he said, he realized how that could have been misconstrued as a proposition. "No! No, no, no, no...that's...that's not what I was saying...like at all..." He looked down at the chain around his neck. It was the same one that Kate had given to Allison. He made the decision to semi tell the truth, and just pray that it actually paid off. "I know who you are." Alexander cocked his head to the side. "You're an Argent. A hunter."

"How-"

"I'm from Beacon Hills. I know things." Alexander made a motion like he was going to go for a knife, but realized he didn't have any weapons on him. "I'm not a shapeshifter. I'm just...human. But my girlfriend...she's a banshee. And she says you're going to die. She says it's going to happen sometime today."

"Tonight's the full moon." Alexander said in thought.

Stiles nodded. "So, just let us stay with you and make sure that nothing happens. Please."

Alexander nodded, but he was still suspicious. "I've got a room at the _Glen Capri_."

"Yeah, no...that's not a good idea."

"What's wrong with it?"

"We stayed there once a few years ago. Lots of death there. She won't go back."

"Well, I have some stuff I need to get."

Stiles nodded slowly. "Okay...just...let me let her know." He walked back over to the banshee whose arms were still crossed over her chest. "Hey... Lydia..." He started, slowly.

She glared up at him. "What?"

_**03051977** _

**_Fairvale, Ca._ **

**_0430 Hours_ **

_**Glen Capri Motel** _

"I hate you." Lydia said from the middle seat of the truck, arms folded in front of her. When they went to change clothes, they grabbed somebody else's that was more time-appropriate. Which, to be honest was similar to some of the things that she would wear in 2016. Stiles's outfit though, not so much. The backpack sat at Stiles's feet.

"No, you don't." Stiles corrected her as he sat in the passenger's seat. Alexander had walked up to his room and left the teens in the car. "But, just so we're clear, what is it exactly that you hate me for?"

"Well, there's a growing list. First, you _told_ him I was banshee. Then, you drag me to this God-forsaken motel. And to top it off, you made me sit next to him."

"Okay, well in my defense..."He thought about it for a moment, "You're the only one who can fit in the middle."

"Oh, so you have nothing to say for the other two things?"

He shrugged. "I did it for the good of the mission?" Lydia rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry." He groaned. "He thought that I was trying to suggest a three-way." Lydia opened her mouth, but Stiles quickly continued, "And before you say, I should have just gone with the three-way idea, I would have...but he wasn't into it."

"So, you just told him everything instead?"

"I didn't tell him _everything_."

"You told him he was going to die, that I was a banshee, _and_ that we were from Beacon Hills!"

"Well...I didn't tell him we were from the future, so...that's got to count for something...right?"

Lydia just shook her head in disbelief and closed her eyes. Stiles was going to reach for her hand, but her arms were still crossed in front of her. He reached his left hand up and began to massage her neck. She was just beginning to relax and forget about everything, when the driver's door opened. She instantly tensed back up as she looked over at Alexander.

"So, slight change of plans." He began.

"What do you mean?" Stiles asked, suspiciously.

"I had a message from my brother, Gerard. There's an alpha nearby. He's meeting us there."

"No!" Lydia screeched. Alexander looked at her incredulously. "That's how it happens."

"Well, if I die because of this alpha, doesn't that mean that my friends and family are in trouble too?"

Lydia shook her head. "The alpha doesn't kill you." She closed her eyes, almost feeling her powers begin to work again. _It's this place_. She thought and took a deep breath. "You don't die at the hands of an alpha. You die by your own hands. Here."

"I get bit?"

Lydia shrugged. "I guess."

Alexander seemed to ponder this for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head as he finally climbed in the truck. "I can't let my family get hurt." He reached for the door. Just as it closed, his head slammed into the window, shattering the glass and falling against the steering wheel.

Lydia looked up at her boyfriend who had stealthily gotten out of his seat and was now stretched across her.

"Stiles?! What the hell! You have to stop knocking people out!"


	41. She's the Stripper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When I originally posted this story on fanfiction.net I had a contest so that the 100th reviewer would get to create a character that Stiles and Lydia needed to save. The winner would be able to choose how their character looked, their age, their personality, how they died in the old timeline (and how they would be saved in the new one), and what happened to them after they were saved. I chose the time period and added a few things here and there, but otherwise, the character would be completely made up by the contest winner. This chapter introduces that character, Aubrey Sherridan, created by AubreyStilinski on Fanfiction.net.

_**03051977** _

_**California** _

_**0610 Hours** _

**_Interstate 5_ **

"He's finally waking up."Lydia said with a relieved sigh.

"Of course he is. I didn't hit him _that_ hard."

"He doesn't have a window anymore!"

"What the hell did you do to me?" Alexander groaned from the passenger's seat.

"We're saving your life." Stiles told him. Alexander tried to move, but realized he had been tied up.

"Seriously?" He asked.

Stiles shrugged. "Extra precaution. And before you say anything, yes. We are aware that as hunters you go through training on how to get out of a situation like this, but we're kind of hoping that it'll take long enough that we'll be so far away you won't be able to make it back to Gerard in time." Stiles paused. "That sounded like he was going to die and that we didn't want you to save him, but that's not the case at all... I'm not a huge fan of the guy, but I'd never wish him dead. Just like I don't wish you dead, which is why we're trying to keep you away for as long as possible."

"Stiles," Lydia sighed. "You're talking too much."

"Sorry."

They drove for several more hours, and Stiles was starting to get tired. There were only long stretches of road in front of them and no cars around. He was beginning to wonder if they had accidentally turned onto some back roads.

"Stiles!" Lydia said loudly. Stiles jumped and swerved. "You were about to drive off the road." Suddenly there were sirens behind them.

"Oh my God! Are you kidding me?" Stiles sighed. "Okay, look here, Alex...can I call you Alex?" He didn't allow time for him to answer. "Don't you dare say anything, just go with my story or I will kill you once we save your life." Stiles pulled the truck over and waiting for the cop to come up to the window (or at least where the window used to be).

"Good morning, officer." Stiles addressed the cop as he approached the driver's side.

"Sir, I saw you swerving. Have you been drinking?"

"No sir." Stiles answered "Just been on the road for awhile. We were looking for a place to stop, but there's been nothing for miles." The cop nodded, but stopped when he saw Alexander tied up. He looked back over at Stiles with a quirked eyebrow. "Uh..."Stiles started as he realized where the cop was heading with his looks. "We're having a bachelor party, for Alex here." Stiles reached over and patted his knee. "Some people do the whole blindfold thing, but I tried to make it interesting. I mean...he's only going to have one of these if everything works out, am I right?" The cop cocked his head toward Lydia.

"Is this the bride?"

"Who? Her? No. She's the...stripper." Lydia managed to smile and wave at the cop, while glaring at the back of Stiles's head.

"Alright," the cop didn't seem quite convinced. "I just need to see your license and registration."

"Right." Stiles, out of habit, went for his wallet in his back pocket, but then remembered that he didn't have it, so to buy himself time, he reached for the registration in the glove compartment.

He looked up at Alexander who was shaking his head, but Stiles wasn't sure why. He popped the glove compartment open and before he could register what was in there, he heard the officer draw his weapon.

"Get out of the car and show me your hands!"

"Holy shit!" Stiles exclaimed when he realized there was a gun in the glove compartment. "This is his car. It's not mine!" Stiles was saying.

"Get out! Keep your hands up!" The cop repeated.

"Okay, okay!" Stiles said as he climbed out of the truck.

"I'm going to untie him." Lydia told the cop as he began to frisk Stiles to make sure he had no weapons on him. Lydia finished untying the hunter and he got out of the car. The cop walked around to frisk Alexander and Stiles and Lydia shared a look.

Stiles quickly hopped back into the car, turned the ignition, threw the vehicle into drive, and slammed on the gas in record time.

"Oh my God!" Stiles said as his heart pounded.

Lydia turned around to make sure they weren't being followed then turned back to Stiles and hit him. "A _stripper_?! Are you kidding me?"

"I'm sorry! I panicked."

They heard sirens again behind them. Lydia groaned and reached for the bag by her feet and found the device inside. "He's probably safe by now, right?"

Stiles shrugged. "Well, he'll probably be in holding for awhile, and since we just drove off in his car, they would have to take it in for processing...right?" He sighed. "In other words...God, I hope so."

Lydia readied the device and gripped Stiles's hand. He jerked the wheel right as they jumped. The truck flipped several times before lighting on fire and subsequently exploding.

**_05211986_ **

**_Beacon Hills, Ca._ **

**_0956 Hours_ **

**_Beacon Hills Preserve_ **

Stiles hit the ground with an "Oof!", his right shoulder taking most of the impact. It took him a moment to catch his breath before he sat up slowly. "Uhh..." He started as he looked around, taking in the sight of the trees around him. "I'm having _deja vu_. "

"Except," Lydia said as she looked behind them. "The nemeton's not as big as it was last time."

Stiles's head followed her gaze and noticed the stump that was more like what they were used to. Lydia replaced the device and pulled out the list.

"Who are we looking for?" Stiles asked her.

"Aubrey Sherridan." Lydia told him as she looked at the list.

"Wait, I know that name."

The banshee nodded. "She went to school with our parents."

"She's the one who drowned at Beacon Beach. They never found her body." Her parents had posted her picture everywhere, refusing to believe that their daughter had actually drowned. They treated it like it was a missing persons case. Her picture was still posted on some lamp posts, severely faded, but still easy to see her curly auburn hair coming out from underneath the graduation hat. "What day is it?"

"It's May 21st." Lydia answered as she stood up.

"Didn't it happen on the 24th?"

"Yes, and the list may have said the 24th, but I couldn't tell if it was a one or a four because it was so faded." Stiles opened his mouth to say something, but Lydia quickly spoke, "And yes, Stiles. You have mentioned how much you hate Tommy."

Stiles sighed and stood up. "So, I guess we have to find somewhere to stay."

"Well, my tips from the diner are still in the bag, and we didn't spend all of the money we took from the school. I'm sure we can make something work."

"Ahh, the diner. It feels like just yesterday that we were there."

"Well...it sort of was."


	42. More Time

**_05211986_ **

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

**_1105 Hours_ **

**_Tate's Diner_ **

They hit the school first. They didn't take whole outfits this time, but instead made minor adjustments, like grabbing jackets and scrunchies. (The scrunchies were for Lydia).

"It's still here!" Stiles said in surprise as they walked toward the diner. "I would have thought that if it was around when our parents were, then they would have mentioned it." Lydia gave him a look, that he couldn't read. "What?"

"Do you not remember what I told you? What Liza said?" Stiles looked clueless. Lydia sighed. "She said that _we_ saved the diner. _We_. _You and I_. So, of course it's here...we...changed something."

"Oh..." He said as he realized what she had meant, but then his eyes widened as he understood the repercussions and added, "No... How much do you think having the diner in the town changed things?"

Lydia shrugged. "We probably won't know until we get back to our own time."

Stiles scoffed, "If we even remember how it was before."

"Hey," she said soothingly and took his hand. "Don't worry about it. Come on, let's go eat."

She pulled him inside the diner, and it didn't look like it had aged a day.

"I feel like I just stepped back into the 50s." Stiles said as he glanced around.

"Hi!" A woman appeared in front of them. Lydia's eyes widened slightly, and the woman cocked her head to the side. "Two?" She asked. Lydia nodded. "Follow me." For a second, Stiles thought that she was going to seat them in the same booth that Liza did in 1953, but she sat them in the booth in front of it. "Do you kids know what you want to drink?"

"Chocolate milkshake." Lydia said quickly.

Stiles smiled. "I'll just take a water."

"Alright. I'll be right back. My name's Lorraine if you need anything."

Stiles blanched. "Thank you." She walked and he quickly turned to Lydia. "Oh my God!"

"Yep." She said, as she busied herself with the menu. "That was my grandmother."

"Do you think she recognized us from the Fall Festival? I mean, she gave us a weird look."

Lydia took a deep breath. "I don't know."

"Here you go." Lorraine said as she put the drinks down in front of them. "Do you know what you want?"

"Can I just get the chicken sandwich with fries?" Lydia said and handed the menu back to her grandmother.

"Sure! What about you?" She asked Stiles.

"Um, the cheeseburger please, and fries."

"Good, choice. I'll go let the cook know."

"It feels so weird not being the cook." Stiles said once Lorraine walked away.

"It feels weird knowing that I'm actually going to have to pay for this meal." Lydia said and Stiles chuckled.

"We need to figure out a place to stay while we're here." Stiles told her.

Lydia looked up at the ceiling. "I wonder if anybody lives in the apartment upstairs."

"How did you know about that?" A man questioned as he walked by their table.

"What?" Lydia asked, trying to play dumb.

"About the apartment. How did you know there _was_ one?"

"Oh," Stiles started slowly. "My parents... _knew_ people... who _said_ there was one." He didn't sound convinced of his own lie, and the man was obviously not buying it, but didn't seem to want to press the issue.

"Well...yeah..I live there now. I run this place. Richard Tate."

"The people that talked about the apartment... " Lydia began. "They also said that there was a woman named Liza that used to run the place."

"She's my aunt. She passed away about two months ago.''

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lydia was genuinely sad. Even though the woman would have been in her 70s at least, they still only just saw her the day before looking completely healthy. "She was a really nice person-"

"-We were told." Stiles said quickly. "...By my _parents' friends_."

Richard nodded. "Thank you for your condolences. She was a lovely lady. You two enjoy your meal."

"So much for _that_ idea." Stiles mumbled as Richard walked away.

"Here you are!" Lorraine said brightly as she set their food down in front of them.

Lydia mumbled a "Thanks."

"Hey, Lorraine," Stiles asked, and received a glare from Lydia. "Do you know of any places that we could stay for a couple of days?"

"Well...there's a bed and breakfast not too far away called _The Ivy_. They may have some rooms available. I could call over there for you and save you a trip. Just in case there isn't."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Stiles said quickly.

Lorraine waved her hand. "It's nothing. We're dead right now anyway. It doesn't normally pick up until around noon. Plus, the Sherridan's are good friends of mine."

Stiles and Lydia exchanged looks at the mention of Aubrey's family. He nodded. "Okay, well... Thank you." Lorraine smiled and walked away.

_**05211986** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1436 Hours** _

_**The Ivy Bed and Breakfast** _

Stiles and Lydia opened the door to their room and Stiles put the backpack down.

"This is cute." Lydia commented as she looked around the room. Stiles closed the door and walked over to the bed, collapsing onto it. Lydia climbed on and put her head on Stiles's chest and her hand on his stomach. He kissed the top of her head and placed his hand on top of hers.

"This is it." He said quietly. "The last one."

"It's almost over." Lydia whispered. Stiles closed his eyes. They had been up for awhile and driving for several hours. He didn't realize how exhausted he was. "Stiles?"

"Yeah?" She didn't say anything for a moment, so he opened his eyes to look at her. She was sitting up slightly looking back at him. And suddenly her lips were crashing into his. She kissed him hungrily, and he didn't say anything when he tasted salty tears on her mouth. He didn't say anything, because he knew in that moment that Lydia had put the date in wrong on purpose. She wanted more time with him, and...sure... it was selfish, but he would have done the same thing.


	43. I Want to Show You Something

_**05221986** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

**_1501 Hours_ **

**_The Ivy B &B_ **

Stiles and Lydia spent the rest of night and the first part of their next day just being together and enjoying the Bed & Breakfast. They found the common area that was filled with books and board games. Lydia began searching through some of the books on the shelves, coming across a Japanese to English dictionary. She flipped through a few pages, finding the kanji for 'self' that they had become so familiar with the year before.

Lydia looked back at Stiles who was on the other side of the room, probably touching things he shouldn't. She turned back to the dictionary and scanned a few more pages, seeing the kanji for 'memory.' She quickly closed the book. Thinking about the fact that she wouldn't have these memories once they made it back only made her upset.

"Hey, Lydia!" Stiles said, thankfully pulling her out of those thoughts. "I found a chess board. Wanna play?"

Lydia shrugged. "Actually, I don't know how."

"Then I'll teach you." He told her, and began laying the board and pieces. "It'll be fun." She put the book away and walked over to Stiles who began explaining the rules. It was about an hour later, around 4:00 pm when a girl with curly auburn hair and blue eyes walked in.

Lydia had been facing toward the door so she saw her when she came inside. "Stiles!" Lydia whispered and hit his hand.

"What?" He was preoccupied on his next move. Lydia was a fast learner and he was beginning to think she was going to win.

"It's her." The words took a moment to register before Stiles turned around to see the teenager.

"Hey, Dad." She said happily as she walked over to the man who was at the front desk and kissed his cheek. "Brought you something." She lifted the bag she was carrying. "Picked it up at _Tate's_ after school."

The man licked his lips hungrily as pulled the Styrofoam box out of the bag. He popped it open to reveal a salad, and the look on his face turned to frustration. "I told you I wanted a a bacon cheeseburger."

"And I told you that I wasn't going to be responsible for giving you a heart attack."

He picked up a piece of lettuce and bit into it with a grimace. "There's no flavor. What am I even supposed to eat this with?"

She shrugged. "A fork."

"Aubrey..."

"What?! I'm kidding. There's salt and pepper in the bag."

"Salt and pepper? That's it?"

She nodded. "But not too much salt. That can't be good for you either."

He sighed and closed the lid on his salad. "At this rate I'm going to die from starvation."

"Well, at least it's not a heart attack."

"Ha ha." he said sarcastically.

"So..." She started slowly. "There's a graduation party on Saturday at Beacon Beach. Is it okay if I go?"

"I don't see why not." He sighed. "Just make sure it's okay with your mother."

"Yay! Thank you, Daddy!" She threw her arms around her father's neck and then quickly ran out.

Stiles exhaled as he turned back to the game board.

"Did you go yet?" Lydia asked. He moved his rook to capture her king.

"Now I have. Check."

Lydia smirked and moved a knight. "Checkmate."

"What?! Wait...how did that... when did you..."

"You were right, this game is fun. Wanna play again?"

"Maybe later." He said with a sigh.

The next morning, Stiles woke up to Lydia shaking him.

"Stiles!"

His eyes popped open, senses on all alert until he realized she was smiling. "Lyd, what...what's going on?" He looked to the window. "It's still dark outside."

"I know. Come with me." He got dressed and Lydia was wearing an over-sized sweatshirt that hung off of one shoulder. She led him to a spot at the top of a small hill that looked out over the school.

"Why are we here?" He asked her.

"Because," She began as she pulled him down on the grass. "This is a really great spot to watch the sun rise." She sat in front of him, and he held her close, lacing their fingers together. He moved her hair with his free hand and kissed her neck and shoulder, sending tingles up her spine. Lydia sighed against him.

"God," He mumbled into her neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." They sat there, watching the sun rise, and then they sat there a little longer. They watched everybody show up at the school and heard the bell ring at 8:00 signaling the start of the day.

"We should figure out what time that party starts tomorrow at the beach." Stiles suggested. "So we know when to be there."

Lydia nodded. "Good idea." They were about to get up from their spot on the ground when another vehicle pulled into the school parking lot. Stiles froze. "Stiles?" Lydia asked as she looked at him, then turned her head to see what he was staring at.

A powder blue jeep had just pulled in. It hastily parked and a brunette stepped out, her purse spilling over in the process.

"God dammit!" Her voice carried through silent parking lot. She bent down to pick up all of her belongings and rushed toward the school.

"Miss Pasternak," A teacher greeted her. "Late again I see."

The brunette sighed. "I'm sorry. My alarm clock didn't go off this morning."

"You do realize that this is the third time month? That means you have detention. And on the the last day of school too."

"Can you please make an exception... just this once?" She pleaded.

"Go to class, Claudia. We'll talk about this later."

Lydia looked back at Stiles, tears brimmed his eyes and he swallowed them back. "Your jeep belonged to your mom?" She asked finally understanding his attachment to the thing. Stiles nodded and finally stood.

"When I was little, she would take me around in it. After she died, it just sat there, rusting. When I turned 15 and got my permit, I started working on fixing it up. By the time I got my license it was ready to drive again. So yeah...there's just a lot of memories and time put into it for it to go to waste."

Lydia nodded and reached her hand toward his. "I get it." He smiled and she pulled him along until they actually reached the school parking lot. They looked around for a flier anywhere that would tell them what time the party started.

Stiles finally saw a piece of paper sitting on the dashboard of a vehicle that said _Graduation Party Beacon Beach 2:00_.

"So, now what?" Lydia asked him.

Stiles smiled. "Now? I want to show _you_ something."

He took her hand and they walked to the park. There were parents and their young children playing on the swing sets and jungle gyms, so the teens stayed further back.

"What is this?" Lydia asked him.

" _That_." Stiles said, pointing to the top of a slide. "Is where I first realized I loved you." Lydia inhaled and turned to him with wide eyes. Stiles continued, "I'd seen you around, but we had never really had a conversation. My mom was starting to get sick, and she had forgotten why she was here. She left me. I went to find her to tell her that I was ready to go and she wasn't there. So, I climbed to the top of the jungle gym. It was the highest point, and I could look out and see if I could see her anywhere." He shook his head. "She was gone. So I sat in the corner. My dad always told me that if I was lost to just stay put and he would find me. So I stayed, and then a little girl walked up to me. She had passed by me a couple of times to go down the slide, but this time she stopped.

" _What are you doing up here?"_

" _Waiting for my dad to find me."_

" _Are you lost?" He shrugged. "Are you playing hide and go seek?" He shook his head. She groaned. "You're confusing."_

_Stiles smiled. "I'm not lost because I know where I am. I just think my mom is lost. I don't think she knows where she is. But my dad will find me. He always does. He always figures it out." There was silence. "Do you want to sit down."_

_She shrugged. "Okay."_

" _Your hair is really red."_

_She scoffed. "It's strawberry blonde. I'm Lydia."_

" _I'm-"_

" _Stiles!" His dad called._

" _What's a Stiles?" Lydia asked._

" _Dad!" He called and positioned himself him at the top of the slide. With a look back at the girl he said, "I'm a Stiles! See? I told you he'd find me. Bye, Lydia!" He slid down and ran into his dad's arms and they held each other tightly._


	44. M.S. & L.M.

**_05231986_ **

**_Beacon Hills, Ca._ **

**_1546 Hours_ **

**_The Ivy Bed and Breakfast_ **

The sky grew darker as a storm approached, and Stiles and Lydia had made it back to the B&B before the rain came. They were both aware that this day was quickly ending, and this was the last day before they got back to their own time. Lydia was still trying to remain confident that they would remember everything, but Stiles could tell she was slowly losing hope.

"What do you want to do now?" Stiles asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

Lydia sat down next to him. "I just..." She started. "I want..." She took a deep breath. "Can you just hold me?" She asked. He nodded slowly and the two of them laid back. He held her tightly against him, her head on his chest. The rain hit the window steadily, and thunder crashed loudly. "I know I told you before," Lydia began. "But this is my favorite sound. Your heartbeat." Stiles smiled.

"My favorite sound is your laugh." Lydia let out a small laugh that turned into a sob. "Hey," he said soothingly. "I don't like _that_ sound."

"I'm sorry." She sniffled. "I just... I don't want us to forget this. I don't want to forget how it feels to curl up next to you with your arms around me. I don't want to forget how in this moment, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life."

Stiles took a deep breath and kissed the top of her head. "I could never forget this. I could never forget how much I love you. How much I've always loved you." They laid there for awhile, until he realized that the rain had stopped. He suddenly sat up. "Get up. I have an idea."

The thunder still rumbled in the distance, and Stiles was sure that the storm wasn't over. He led her out to Beacon Hills Preserve, and just as they got to the nemeton, the skies broke loose. Rain began falling hard, but neither of them flinched. He walked over to a tree with a large trunk, stood at the foot of it, and looked straight up.

"What are we doing?" Lydia asked him. Stiles presented a pocket knife that he had found the day before in the jacket he 'borrowed' from the school. He crouched down and began to carve into the tree. "Stiles?! This is a preserve! We're supposed to be preserving, not destroying."

"I don't care. Look," He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down next to him. "We're worried about what'll happen when we get back... Whether we'll remember this or not...or if we're even friends- because, you know... we fucked up... a LOT. Time is what's going to take our memories away, so I say, screw time! Let's make it so it doesn't forget us." A smiled slowly appeared on Lydia's face and she grabbed Stiles's face and pulled him in, lips crashing into lips, rain dripping into their mouths. They finally pulled away from each other, and she bit her lip.

"Give me that." She took the knife from him and began carving as well. Before long, they sat there staring at the letters _M.S. & L.M._ "We're dorks, you do realized that." She said as they stood up and admired their work, rain still pouring.

She looked up at him and he made eye contact. He reached out to move a piece of hair from her face, and held the back of her head as he leaned down to kiss her again. Tongues searched mouths hungrily and they each kept deepening the kiss wanting more and more. He grabbed the back of her legs to lift her up and leaned her up against the tree. Lydia was crying again. Tears mixing with rain water. She didn't want this to end. She didn't know if they were fated to be together or if in another life, they would be with other people. Allison always said there was no such thing as fate. Lydia desperately wanted to believe that Allison was wrong on that one and that she would be with Stiles no matter what time did to fuck them over.

"Lydia," Stiles mumbled against her lips. As if reading her mind, he said, "I will always find my way back to you. I swear."

 

When they walked into _The Ivy_ again later, Aubrey was leaving and nearly ran into them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" She apologized.

"It's fine!" Lydia smiled.

"No, it's not. I totally wasn't paying attention." She stopped to take a look at them. "You two look like you got caught in that storm."

Lydia and Stiles exchanged looks. "You could say that." Stiles told her.

"Oh, um...Wow... this is awkward," Aubrey started and Lydia looked at her curiously. "It's just... when you turned your head," she was talking to Lydia. "I noticed..." Aubrey pointed to her own auburn hair, "You have...something."

Lydia patted the back of her head and sure enough there was something tangled in it. When she pulled her hand away, she was holding a twig with a leaf still attached. She looked over at Stiles who quickly turned away to stifle a laugh.

'It must of have been the wind." Lydia smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah..."Aubrey began, not convinced as she looked back and forth between the two. "Must have. Well, have a good night."

Lydia turned to Stiles as soon as Aubrey was gone. "She gave me a look!"

"A look?" Stiles asked as he began to lead Lydia back to their room.

"Yes, a look!"

"What kind of a look?"

"When she said have a good night, she gave me this look like _I know what kind of night you're gonna have._ "

"Well, what kind of night did she think we were going to have?" He quirked an eyebrow as they made it to their door.

"I don't know!" She crossed her arms as she waited for Stiles to unlock it. "Probably one that includes lots of sex."

"Really?" Stiles asked with a smirk as he opened the door.

Lydia rolled her eyes. "I didn't say she was right." She said as she pushed past him.

* * *

They returned their key to the front desk the next day.

Mrs. Sherridan was at the desk when they got there.

"Is your daughter here?" Lydia asked, making small talk while the woman totaled up the cost of their room.

"Aubrey? No. She had a party to go to at noon."

"Wait...noon?" Stiles and Lydia exchanged looks, then Lydia whispered, "I thought you said it started at 2?"

"I thought that's what it said."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Hurry up and pay her so we can go."

Stiles ended up handing over almost every penny they had, before Lydia grabbed his hand and led him out the door.

When they got to Beacon Beach, there were tons of teenagers around. They both searched for the striking auburn hair that belonged to the girl they were trying to save.

Suddenly, Lydia spotted her. There was a cliff that peeked out over the water. Some kids were climbing up and jumping off. Aubrey had about three people in front of her and one behind her. The banshee took off running toward the cliff.

"Lydia!" Stiles called, but she was already well on her way. He didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to run after her too, but he realized that if Lydia couldn't talk her out of jumping, he needed to be able to get to her. He began to take off his shoes and socks as he neared the shoreline. There was now one person in front of her and Lydia was still climbing up. The person in front of her jumped.

Aubrey neared the edge and seemed to have a moment of indecision. She stepped back a few feet, and Stiles saw her motion to the person behind her to go. He shook his head 'no.'

"What's going on?" Stiles mumbled as he took a few more steps into the water, waves then hitting his knees.

"Aubrey!" Lydia called.

Aubrey motioned to Lydia, but the guy grabbed her. There was a struggle and all of a sudden Aubrey was falling, and no one else seemed to have noticed.


	45. Nothing Important

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter! Hope you enjoy it! (Also, I posted this from my iPhone on a moving train, so I apologize for any mistakes)

_**05241986** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1343 Hours** _

_**Beacon Beach** _

Stiles was fighting waves as he made his way to where he'd seen Aubrey go under. He finally reached a drop off. The water went from 4 feet to 13 feet deep in the matter of a step. It was right about there that he saw her land. He took a deep breath and dove into the water.

The salt water burned his eyes, but he could see her at the bottom. He pushed himself forward, downward, until he was finally able to grab a hold of her. He grabbed her waist and pushed off the sandy bottom. Just as he reached the top a wave hit him from behind and pushed him back down again.

He swirled around a bit under the water before he was able to get his bearings and reach the surface again, although, he realized he was now further away from the shore than he was a few minutes ago.

"Aubrey!" He yelled to her urgently as he tried to propel them forward while keeping them both above the water and fighting with a current. He was having major flashbacks to being trapped in a pool with a kanima-paralyzed Derek, but at least when he moved in the pool, he actually moved. At the moment he felt like all the kicking and paddling he was doing was for nothing. Aubrey groaned and moved her head. "Oh thank God." He said, relieved. At least he knew she was breathing. They would just have to get the gaping head wound checked out, but then she should be fine. "Come on, Stiles. You can do this." He said, giving himself a pep talk. That, combined with an assist from a helpful wave, and he was moving forward, back toward the shore.

"Somebody call 911!" He shouted as he pulled her onto the beach.

"How?" A boy asked. Oh right...it was 1986. Only rich people had cell phones.

"Isn't there a pay phone somewhere?"

"Oh yeah!" He said and stumbled off to the payphones. Stiles shook his head...idiot.

He looked around, and realized suddenly that Lydia wasn't in the crowd.

"Lydia?" He called out and stood up to get a better view. "Lydia?!" He yelled louder. Something wasn't right and he knew it.

All of a sudden, a scream pierced through the mumbling.

"What the hell was that?" A girl near him asked.

"My girlfriend." He turned to face the girl. "Do you think you can take care of her?." He motioned to Aubrey.

She nodded and Stiles took off running, forgetting his shoes, but it didn't matter. He wasn't sure exactly where she was, but he'd had a pretty good idea.

When he reached the nemeton, he found Lydia with a garrote around her neck. All the guy would have to do was twist it, and his hands were ready to do just that.

Stiles's heart jumped to his throat and he froze. "Please." He whispered. "Don't hurt her." He blinked back tears as he tried to stay strong.

The guy laughed. Like actual, evil, maniacal laughter. It made Stiles's blood run cold. This was _the_ guy. The one who had killed Stiles, twice technically. The one who had killed their friends. The one that they had been chasing for months.

"I don't want to hurt her, Stiles. At least not physically. You on the other hand-" The guy threw a knife toward him. He turned his body, to avoid it, but let out a groan when it nicked his arm.

"What's wrong with you?!" He yelled.

"What's wrong with me? _You're_ what's wrong with me. You and your stupid pack!"

"What did we do to you that was so terrible?"

"You killed my family!" He yelled.

Stiles had to physically take a step back. That didn't sound like them. "What?"

"Yeah...that's right. You see... my grandmother was a human, who fell in love with a werewolf. Sound like somebody you know?" _Allison_ , he thought. Stiles nodded. "See, the thing was...my mom never knew her dad. She didn't have a pack, so she found yours. She had issues with control and had sent several people to the morgue because no one would teach her. And instead of helping her, your true alpha sent her away."

"Look, if Scott didn't think-"

"Oh, it wasn't just Scott. You two were there too. It was decided that the pack couldn't take on any new members, especially ones that couldn't control themselves."

"I'm sure that wasn't the only reason."

"Oh yeah? Well, just wait. I haven't gotten to the good part yet." He adjusted his hold on Lydia and Stiles clenched his fist. "My mom joined another pack. This pack didn't have the greatest reputation and picked fights with the McCall pack a lot. They were nomadic and lived in a sort of commune. There was supposed to be some kind of truce. Your pack went to discuss terms." He shrugged. "A fight broke out. I don't know who started it, but you guys finished it. Your pack killed every last member...Well...almost everyone." He looked down at the banshee. "Lydia, was the one who found me. She saw how scared I was. The two of you took me in for about a week, until one night, I heard you talking. Lydia wanted to officially adopt me. But you talked her out if it. Something about a high-risk pregnancy and not needing any other stress. I wouldn't know, I was only five.The next day, you were taking me to social services and I got put into a home with an abusive foster family. But you see, I'm not a werewolf, so I couldn't heal and I couldn't fight back. Ten years later, I decided I wanted the bite. I was 15. I could handle it. I tried to give your buddy, Scott McCall another chance. And just like my mom, he turned me away. Something about not trusting the head space I was in. Thinking that I wanted the bite for all the wrong reasons."

"Well, Scott is a pretty good judge of character."

"Shut up!" He took a seething breath. "It was that day that I swore I would get revenge, but I wanted you all to hurt as much I did. As much as my mom did. It took some planning, but I figured it out. I found the threads in the timeline that needed to be cut. I was saving you for last, Stiles. You were the one who ruined me the most. I wanted to kill you myself."

"You did." Another male voice came from behind Stiles and he turned to see Apollo stepping out from behind the trees.

"Who the hell are you?" The guy asked.

"I'm Apollo. And you succeeded in your quest, Zeke. That's why we're here to stop you."

"We?"

"Janus?" Apollo asked. Janus appeared, nodding both of his heads

Stiles and Lydia looked at each other.

"Wait, what's happening to me?" Zeke asked as his hands began to disappear. He jerked Lydia around as the grip on the garrote loosened.

"You lost." Stiles said bravely. Zeke glared at Stiles before pushing Lydia backwards. Stiles ran forward as Lydia stumbled off of the nemeton, and Stiles reached his hand out to touch her shoulder.

"Ly-"

Then they were gone.

_**03172016** _

_**Beacon Hills, Ca.** _

_**1953 hours** _

_**Beacon Hills Preserve** _

"-dia!" Stiles jerked her away from the nemeton. "What the _hell_ are you doing?"

Lydia stared at the nemeton with a look of confusion. "I don't know...I..."

"God, what is that incessant buzzing?" Stiles looked around and patted his pants pockets. "Where the hell did my phone go?"

Lydia looked down and saw the phone lit up with Allison's face. She picked it up and handed it over. "Your girlfriend is calling you."

Stiles sighed as he took the phone. "Probably wondering where the hell we are because we were supposed to be at her house," Stiles looked at the time, "Ah, 10 minutes ago. When I tell her that I had to chase her best friend through the woods..."

Lydia looked down and before she thought about what she was saying, she opened her mouth, "I used to be your best friend."

Stiles looked up with a glare, but his expression softened slightly. Only slightly. He sighed. "Yeah, well shit happens." The phone had stopped buzzing, but began vibrating again. Stiles sighed and answered. "Hey, Ali."

"Oh my God!" Lydia could hear her friend's voice through the phone. "Where have you been? I've called you 3 times!" Stiles began to walk away, but Lydia could still hear him.

"Sorry. I dropped my phone. Lydia had a...banshee thing, and we're at the nemeton, but we're heading that way now." Lydia was looking around the nemeton. There had to have been a reason that she was drawn to the supernatural stump, but she couldn't figure it out. "Yeah, we will be." Stiles was saying. That's when Lydia saw it. There was a man standing in the middle of the trees. She froze.

"Uh, Stiles." She said, then turned to him.

"Alright. Love you too." He hung up the phone and turned to look at Lydia. "What?"

"There's a-" Lydia turned back to where the man had been standing, but he was gone.

"What?" Stiles asked again.

"There was somebody there a second ago."

Stiles looked over to where Lydia was pointing, then grabbed her arm. "Well, then let's just hurry and get out of here before he comes back."

"Wait," She stopped.

"What now?" He groaned.

"I don't know...I just... I feel like I'm forgetting something."

"Yeah, you're forgetting how pissed Allison is going to be when we're not at her house in the next 15 minutes. Now, come on."

Lydia sighed. Stiles was right. It was probably nothing important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know. I'm so evil! No need to fear though, there is a prequel (complete) AND a sequel (in progress) to this story. It will be at least a week before it gets posted on here though because I'm actually on my way to NYC for a birthday vacation! (It's the 20th!)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Let me know what you thought! What was your favorite scene/line/time period in general?! I want to know!


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